The Immortals and the Businessman 1
by believer76
Summary: Aaron Hotchner's is shot, saving an old friend's life. When Taro starts making inquiries about how Aaron avoided being injured from his hospital bed will Dave and Aaron tell him their secret? Will they trust their friend enough to tell them the secret that they've been keeping from him for as long as they've known him?
1. Chapter 1

The Immortals and the Businessman

Part 1

"We better go inside or we will really be late for our business meeting," Aaron urged Dave.

He and Dave had been friends for many centuries, more like brothers then just best friends and that bond had developed quite a bit over the last few hundred years ever since they had met. The instant they had met many decades ago now they had felt an instant connection to each other. Dave who had been born immortal and had told Aaron what he was after he had felt that instant connection to the other man. The bond that they shared had helped Aaron get over the loss of his family because of the dreaded influenza, as there had been no cure or at least a prevention back then. Aaron's wife had been the first to succumb to the disease, because she had a weak immune system, something that Aaron hadn't known as such things hadn't been studied at the time. His youngest son had been the next to succumb as he was only a toddler and then his older children had followed. His second daughter had lasted the longest as she had a strong immune system like Aaron himself.

Aaron had mourned their loss and had wanted to die himself for he'd loved his family, but he also had a strong will to live. Dave had just met Aaron recently before the influenza had hit and had helped out his new friend as much as he could, because he knew that he couldn't catch it due to the fact that technically he was immortal.

Aaron had been rather astonished at Dave's story and also disbelieving at first, but after Dave had proved it to him he had been stunned but accepting. Dave had seen what an honorable man Aaron was, trying his best to take care of his family, as there was no money for a doctor.

Dave had offered to pay for the doctor, but Aaron had refused, and Dave had respected his decision. He could see that Aaron Hotchner was a proud man, to proud to accept money from a relative stranger, since they had just met, shortly before the epidemic hit. The connection they both felt was inconsequential at the time. There might've been a chance that the doctor could've saved Aaron's family, but the chance had been slim at best, as influenza knocked off thousands of people every year in the century in which Aaron had been born, as there had been no kind of prevention back then.

It was that sense of honor that had made Dave offer to turn him immortal, because in the short time he had known Aaron Hotchner he could tell that he shared many similar personality traits to himself. He was law-abiding, honorable, proud, loyal, compassionate, moral and willing to give others a helping hand, though he was also nobodies fool. Dave had felt a connection to him the minute that the two of them had met, which was one of the reasons for the offer.

Aaron had asked for some time to think about it and Dave had given him all the time he needed, even as the two of them traveled together, after burying his family at the local graveyard.

Aaron hadn't agreed for quite awhile to be turned immortal, but the two of them had grown ever closer as they traveled to various cities all over the world.

Finally, Aaron had consented after the two of them had been traveling together for a decade, as he had seen that Dave was an honorable man. Dave had never mocked him for mourning his family, even though he had cried more than once when he thought about his children and his wife. Aaron knew very well that any other man would have mocked him for crying at all, because supposedly men weren't supposed to cry no matter the situation.

Dave had told him it was okay to cry, because he had loved his family and of course, he missed them very much, as he should. He had said that he had often cried himself when he lost somebody that was important to him at the time.

By the time that Aaron had finally consented to be turned immortal he was nearly 40 years old, as he had gotten married at just 20 which was quite common back in the age of which he had been born. Aaron, had been quite old actually for the time, when he had gotten married.

During that decade he had gotten over the loss of his children and his wife, although he would always miss them, which was something that Dave genuinely understood. Aaron was beyond grateful for Dave's caring, compassion and friendship and now the two of them were closer then brothers that had been born from two sets of parents.

More than once however, their closeness had been mistaken for the fact that they were in a sexual relationship and no matter how much they protested a lot of times it did no good. They had been chased out of town more than once as two men being together was taboo until a few decades ago. Trying to explain that they loved each other as brothers and were not in a sexual relationship had a lot of times not done any good due to ignorant people who refused to believe them because they simply were that close and so they had been run out of town, a lot of times with rocks thrown after them.

"Yeah, we should," Dave agreed calmly. The two of them didn't necessarily need the money that this business deal would bring, but more money always came in useful considering they were basically immortal. Besides, they gave big chunks of their portfolios to worthy charities and just didn't keep all their billions of dollars to just themselves. Also Taro Kurosawa was an old friend of theirs and this would not be the first time they had supported one of his projects, nor would it be the last. Well, so long as the man survived that attempts on his life.

Dave walked in the door to the restaurant confidently with Aaron following just a few seconds later. Dave gave them name to the maître d' and the man had another waiter escort the two men directly to their table where three other men were already waiting.

"Good afternoon gentlemen," Dave said shaking the three gentlemen's hand.

"David-san, it's good to see you again, my friend," Taro said smiling at the sight of his old friend. He had often wondered why his two friends hadn't seemed to age a day in the over 20 years he had known them. He had his suspicions, but since they were honorable men, he hadn't asked as that would be a breach of trust, but in the back of his mind he wondered.

Aaron also greeted the three men politely before they sat down and looked at their menus.

All five men chatted casually until their meals arrived and then they got down to business.

By the time everybody rose to leave it was clear that it had been a very good and profitable meeting and everyone was more than satisfied.

They set up a meeting for the next week and Dave and Aaron both promised to be there.

"This should be very profitable for all of us David-san," the leader said shaking his hand for a second time.

"Yes, it should," Dave agreed cordially smiling. "This will help a lot of people, which is definitely a project Aaron and I can get behind."

"If only more people who were wealthy would do something like this the world would be a much better place. This little project should give a lot of people jobs, so should lower unemployment."

"On that we agree on, Aaron-san," The older Japanese man who was leader said. "I'm looking forward to doing business with you in the future."

"So are we," Dave said before he and Aaron departed.

"There goes two honorable men," the older Japanese man said quietly and his two companions nodded in agreement

~~~Criminal Minds~~~

"You'll be okay," Dave soothed his old friend Taro Kurosawa.

Dave and Aaron had detected an attack on the three Japanese businessmen at the last possible second. Dave well knew that businessmen of Taro's caliber had many enemies. Taro came from a rather poor family, but had a rather innate business sense. He had managed to get a full ride scholarship to college and had worked hard to found his own company and this was way back in the 1940s when Japanese weren't exactly well thought of. In fact, anyone who wasn't completely white was often beaten up for the stupidest of reasons and were often stopped by the police just because they were African or Chinese or Japanese. It wasn't fair how humans in general had acted, especially those that were supposed to enforce the law, but Dave well knew that even policemen had feelings and prejudices and weren't shining pagans of virtue.

The attack had been designed to look like a drive-by shooting, but Dave well knew that it wasn't that at all, even though this was Chicago. They were hardly in a bad part of town where that kind of thing was more likely to happen. No, this was a very influential part of the city and Dave wouldn't say that things like drive-by shootings wouldn't happen here, but it was much more unlikely.

No, Dave was sure that this had been a deliberate attempt to kill off a businessman who was trying to make things better in one of the poor sections of the city. Taro, had plans to create a shopping complex that would not only create jobs for numerous people, it would also bring in a lot of money to the area. If his plan succeeded, it would give hundreds of people decent jobs, with decent pay. Dave knew what Taro was planning wouldn't be okay with the mob and other various criminals as it would cut down on the drug trade. When people had hope they wouldn't buy drugs and other things. The complex would also include a hotel and Taro wanted to transform the area, so there was no longer a slum and this was just the first step.

Dave had been with him all the way, even though he knew how dangerous it was, because the mob, the druglords and all the other criminals wouldn't give up their territory easily. Still, Dave would like very much for Taro's plan to succeed, as it would help many poor people that lived in Chicago.

Dave would do his best to protect his longtime friend and knew Aaron would agree with him. The two of them had expected this type of thing, though not this soon, as the process was only in the planning stages.

Dave heard the sirens of the ambulance, his sharp ears easily able to discern the difference between ambulance and other emergency vehicles, as they all made slightly different sounds.

Taro would be okay, Aaron knew as he had pushed his old friend out of the way just in time. He had gotten hit by a bullet, but it wasn't as serious as it could be, as it was in a non-vital area. If he hadn't been pushed out of the way at the last second he would've been hit by many more, as the men in the car had had submachine guns, not regular handguns.

Unfortunately, one of Taro's associates hadn't made it, because neither he or Aaron had been expecting the attack and so hadn't been fast enough to prevent it.

The other man however, was much more gravely injured then Taro was, although at least he was alive for the moment. He would either need to be turned immortal or have major surgery and there was no guarantee that he would survive the surgery. Still, the secret of immortality was not something you told anyone lightly, although Dave was sure that Taro suspected at least that he and Aaron were not exactly mortal.

Dave and Aaron were not ones to turn somebody immortal without knowing them well and only with their permission, unlike some of their kind. One reason that Dave, Aaron and Taro were so close was because they shared the same sense of honor and did their best to help those in need.

All three of them came from poor backgrounds and while they had money now, at one point in their lives they had struggled to take care of their families, put food on the table and clothes on their backs. Also all three of them were the oldest sons of their parents with a strong sense of duty to their fsmilies, which gave them another point of commonality.

Taro had a family of his own, a wife that would be waiting at their home in New York for him and eight children, most of whom were already grown and the youngest two were in college, though about to graduate, as they were identical twins.

This was one reason that Dave was determined to save his friend, as his wife would be devastated as would all his children and grandchildren. Dave was well aware that Taro would die in another 20 or 25 years, since he was already over 60, but he was determined to give his friend that time with his family.

The ambulances and police cars arrived and immediately screeched to a stop, the ambulance attendants immediately loading the three men onto two different vehicles.

"We need to be more aware in the future, this took us totally by surprised and it shouldn't have. We knew that Taro's ideas, especially considering we are in Chicago could turn out to be rather dangerous," Aaron murmured softly to Dave who nodded in agreement.

"Yes, we knew that the mob bosses wouldn't be happy with what Taro was planning," Dave quietly agreed. "However, I certainly didn't expect for word to get out about this project before it even got off the ground. I expected danger later, as right now, the project is only in the initial planning stages and is a long way from actually starting to build the complex that Taro has in mind. I won't make that mistake again. Personally, if it is the mob that tried to kill our friend, well, I think they were a little bit preemptive."

"Taro does have many enemies. For all we know, it could have been one of them and not just the mob here in Chicago," Aaron said.

"Yes, he does, but only because he's such an honorable man who won't accept a bribe and keeps a close eye on everybody that works for him to make sure that there's no skimming, that everything is up to code," Dave said. "We both know that if close eye isn't kept on people then a lot of times they will skim off the top, use poorer materials that are more likely to not last like they should. Building a reputation on honesty and unshakable ethics is hard and it's very easy to lose."

"The mob bosses know by now that he's unbribable and completely honest in the way he practices business and would want to get rid of the competition," Aaron said.

"We'll really have to keep an eye on him in the future," Dave said.

"And on ourselves, because even though we can't be killed by a bullet that doesn't mean that other people can't be," Aaron said.

"And these people have no problem taking out innocent bystanders in order to get to us," Dave said by way of agreement. "I wish we could convince Taro to hire a couple of bodyguards."

"You've tried in the past and it's never done any good," Aaron said smirking a little as Taro Kurosawa was a stubborn man.

"Yes, he is," Dave said already knowing what Aaron was thinking, because they knew each other very well. "I can't really blame him for not wanting to be followed around by bodyguards, even if it's for his own good."

Both men fell silent as the cops finally approached and started asking questions about what had happened only a short time ago.

Dave and Aaron answered as best they could, really wanting to head to the hospital to see how they're friend was doing, but knowing that this was a legal obligation and they didn't want to be seen as uncooperative as it would only make the officers suspicious.

~~~Criminal Minds~~~

"You saved my life," Taro told Dave.

"It was nothing," Dave tried to divert Taro's attention.

"I owe you more than I can ever be able to repay," Taro said.

"You owe me nothing," Dave tried again. "We've been friends for over 20 years, which means something to Aaron and I."

"Well, I always knew you were extremely modest at least in certain ways," Taro smiled. "I will never forget what you did for me, even though one of my associates died. I hope you realize that is neither one of your faults."

"We know that," Aaron said speaking for the first time from where he was leaning against one of the walls of Taro's hospital room. "Both Dave and I still feel a little guilty for what happened, but I don't think there's anyway we could have prevented it."

"No, the people who shot your associates, plus yourself, are the ones at fault and I suspect that they probably work for the mob, as this is Chicago after all. Aaron and I knew that your project wasn't going to be popular with the criminal element or some other people like dishonest government officials, but we certainly didn't expect this kind of drastic action, especially not for a project that is only in the initial planning stages," Dave agreed.

"We should have expected it though or at least anticipated it," Aaron said.

"There's no way you really could have my friends," Taro said shaking his head.

Aaron and Dave shared a look that Taro couldn't translate, but that tended to happen from time to time in the 20 or so years he had known them. At first he was sure they were lovers, but then over time he changed his opinion and just decided that they were just as close as brothers born to different parents.

He really didn't know much about either one's past, but he suspected that maybe they had met in childhood and clicked instantly as siblings, as that did happen sometimes. Two people just met and instantly felt as if they had known each other all their lives. Sometimes that developed into a bond where they became lovers once they were old enough and other times they were as close as siblings, twins in everyway, except biologically.

"In any case, you're going to have to be very careful from now on," Dave said finally, after his long silent conversation with Aaron came to an end. "Aaron and I know you don't want to have bodyguards all the time and neither one of us can blame you for that, but what would your wife say if you were to get yourself killed?"

"She knows what I do is dangerous sometimes," Taro answered simply. "She knows that it's not always easy to help people that need it, because of outside forces that want to see things remain the way they are. This is a rather ambitious project and we're all aware of it and not just because it will help hundreds of people, but because of the danger from outside forces that would like to see us fail and things remain the same. We all know that true change is not easy, but nobody can stop progress, even if they delay it for awhile. I will not let a bunch of goons stop me from helping people that really need these jobs that the complex will provide. I will not allow Daiki's sacrifice to be in vain."

"We just knew you were going to say something like that," Aaron sighed, resignedly.

"Yeah, we did," Dave said, his expression rather resigned. "Most people don't realize that being a businessman can be rather dangerous, depending of course, on what kind of business you're in and what you trying to do with your money."

"You're a rather rare breed, you know," Aaron added smiling a little. "Somebody who doesn't leave everything to their employees, who likes to help those that are poor. The complex you're going to be build is going to help hundreds of people, so of course, the mob bosses don't like that very much."

"I like to make sure it's done right," Taro said simply. "There're no guarantees, if you leave it to somebody that works for you that they won't try to rip you off or that it will be done in the correct way."

"We know not many people understand that or if they do they still don't give it their personal attention, not even really big projects like this one," Aaron said. "But then, I know that not many businessman come from the a poor family or at least don't stay connected to that side of them once they manage to escape like you did."

"Or say they don't do their best to help people in the same situation that they were in," said Dave, "which is why Aaron and I would like to see you survive for a little longer. By the way, I agree with Aaron's comment of a minute ago about how many successful people seem to want to forget their childhood, even though it forms who we are."

"Those who forget the past are destined to repeat it," Taro quoted softly.

"Exactly," Aaron agreed.

"So when are you free to leave this place?" Dave asked.

"Not for a couple of days anyway," Taro said. "You saved me from getting a worse injury and even possibly losing my life, I'm grateful, but the flesh wound is still going to need time and the doctors want to keep me for a few days to make sure it's healing well. As for poor Hiroto, he was still in surgery last I knew and his injuries are bad enough that there is only a 50% chance that he'll live."

"Well, he seems like a strong man, which will only help him," Dave told his old friend.

"He is and it will," Taro agreed, "but still the doctors weren't very comforting."

"You'd rather the doctor be honest then tell you pretty lies," Aaron told Taro with certainty.

"You know me too well, Aaron-san," Taro sighed, with the barest hint of a smile.

"We've known each other for a long time," Dave said and Taro nodded in agreement.

"Yes, we have, over 20 years," Taro agreed looking at both men speculatively. "What you did knocking me out of the way was very brave and it's only because of you that Hiroto has a chance to survive. How you in particular Aaron managed not to get hit with some of those bullet is a miracle."

The statement was said in a perfectly innocent and reasonable tone of voice, but both Aaron and Dave recognized the statement for what it was. It was a query, a question, that Taro had wanted answers for, likely for a long time. He had known both Dave and Aaron for over 20 years and both men looked like they hadn't aged a day in all that time. In fact, they looked exactly the same.

"I'll tell you what, Taro," Dave said finally after communicating silently with Aaron, who nodded. "Once you're out of this place and we can go somewhere and talk privately we'll tell you some things that we've been holding back ever since we met."

"I'll look forward to it," Taro said.

"Well, I think it's time Aaron and I took our leave, as you need to rest," Dave said. "Just let us know when they are going to let you out of this place and we'll go somewhere and talk.

Taro nodded unable to resist the drugs that were in his system anymore and closed his eyes, drifting off to sleep instantly.

Aaron and Dave quietly left closing the door gently behind them.

~~~Criminal Minds~~~


	2. Chapter 2

Part 2

"So are we really going to tell Taro our secret?" Aaron asked Dave, once they were alone in their hotel room.

"He deserves to know, don't you think?" Dave asked his friend instead. "We know he's a very honorable man and that he will never reveal what he is told. We probably should have told him at least five or six years ago."

Aaron knew this was true so nodded.

"I know he is, but we've only told very few people our secrets before," Aaron said, looking pensive.

"I don't believe Taro will misbelieve us," Dave said. "We've known each other for too long. Plus there're plenty of legends about immortals, from many cultures, including Japan, though I admit they are usually gods of some sort."

"I know," Aaron said. "And no, I don't think our friend will disbelieve us. I just worry about putting more pressure on him. Someone just tried to kill him after all."

"I know, but he's been curious about why we still look the same for a long time now, he's just too polite to really inquire," Dave said and Aaron nodded. "He's bound to have guessed that we're not completely human, though his mind might not go in the direction of us being immortal, just really long lived. He knows there's got to be some reason that we look exactly the same as we did 20 years ago when we first met. He's an honorable man and we know he won't reveal what he's told, even to his wife if we request he does not."

"Yes, he'll keep our secret," Aaron agreed, soberly. "That's really not what I'm worried about at all."

"You're worried about his health when he learns what we are," Dave said knowing exactly what his friend was thinking.

"It's just concealing such an enormous secret would put a strain on anybody, and Taro is no longer a young man," Aaron explained what he was thinking.

"I don't think it will be as hard as you think, Aaron," Dave said. "Taro knows we're honorable men, so concealing our secret will be much easier on him then you believe. If he did not know us so well it might be as much of a strain on him as you believe, but I think it will be less of a strain to know, than to let his curiosity eat him alive."

"Maybe," Aaron conceded.

"What's wrong?" Dave asked when Aaron still looked rather worried

"Nothing really," Aaron sighed. "It's just sometimes I miss my children. I know it's been many centuries now, but sometimes I can't help but think about them."

"I know, they died way before their time," Dave said gravely. "I'm sure I'd be dead too if I hadn't been immortal. There was no cure for many of the diseases back then that there is nowadays. So many things can be cured now that likely would've killed you back when both of us were born. Only the strong survived back so long ago."

"I know," Aaron said. "I just want to find someone to settle down with. Someone to love, have a few more children with. I know we would have to move around, especially if I turned her immortal, but it would be worth it, just to have someone to come home to. I'm not going to do that just for any woman though, it would have to be someone really special. Someone that I know I would love for the rest of my centuries, not someone I would get tired of eventually."

"I don't blame you for wanting someone to come home to," Dave said. "I've often thought about finding a mate of my own, but as you said, it would have to be someone really special, that would accept the supernatural is real."

"And people of that caliber aren't exactly thick on the ground, at least not beautiful women, ones that aren't going to drive either of us crazy eventually," Aaron said.

"Well, I hope both of us find someone someday. We've had our share of woman over the centuries that's true, but none of them would've done well living forever."

"Most of them would've driven me batty in no time," Aaron snorted. "They might've been good for a short tumble, but not on a permanent basis."

"Well, you've changed your opinion," Dave chuckled. "It used to be that you were horrified at the very thought of having sex outside of marriage."

"Things change," Aaron said simply. "I was only horrified, because it was a strange concept to have sex with a female I wasn't married too. Things like that just weren't done back so long ago, unless you were very, very discreet."

"I know, I'm only teasing," Dave admitted.

"I realized however, that you were right. I was basically going to live forever and I couldn't go without sex for hundreds of years," Aaron added shrugging.

"Well, you could, but it certainly wouldn't be my choice," Dave admitted.

"Mine either," Aaron said with the reluctant smile.

"I think it's time we get some sleep," Dave suggested. "We're going to have to give Taro that explanation within the next 48 hours. We need to be prepared, as I'm sure he'll have a ton of questions."

"You're right," Aaron acknowledged. "You can have the bathroom first if you like. I'll turn down the beds while you're brushing your teeth."

Dave simply nodded and headed for the bathroom, not bothering to close the door behind him or take any clothes with him, because it wasn't like Aaron hadn't seen him naked hundreds of times over the years. Besides, they were both the same sex, so why did it really matter anyway?

~~~Criminal Minds~~~

Taro was finally released from the hospital a couple of days later and as promised Dave and Aaron showed up.

"So how are you feeling?" Dave asked his friend.

"Much better," Taro said. "Especially now that I know poor Hiroto is going to be okay. That in itself is a miracle. He'll be a long time in recovering, but at least he's going to live."

"That's good," Aaron said.

"Yes, it is. It's too bad about poor Daiki though," Taro agreed.

"Yes, it is, but sometimes things happen," Dave offered. "I hope you have at least informed his family."

"I have and they were devastated," Taro said. "I don't blame them."

"No, neither do I," Aaron said, as he and Dave escorted their friend out of the hospital in a wheelchair, since it was hospital policy. Aaron thought about his own family that had died due to the dreaded influenza, what was today, commonly known, as the flu, so long ago. He had been the only survivor, as his wife and his six children were simply gone. There had been no cure back then and only the very strong survived. There wasn't as much known about sanitation and other things that kept a person healthy back so long ago either.

Once they reached the entrance to the hospital, Taro got to his feet and then the nurse that had followed them took the wheelchair back inside.

"Our car is this way," Dave said, as he led the way to where he and Aaron had parked.

"So about your secret and your promise to tell me," Taro said once they were all safely inside the car.

"I think it can wait until we get back to our hotel," Dave said simply. "I made sure we got a room at a hotel that had nice thick walls, not thin where people can hear you if you talk too loudly.

"I'm surprised you waited this long to ask us that," Aaron said chuckling quietly. "Your curiosity must be eating you alive."

"I've wondered over the last five or six years at least what exactly you were," Taro said simply. "Every time we see each other you always look exactly the same. I have my own theories of course, but whether or not I'm anywhere close I have no idea."

"Aaron and I figured that," Dave said, even as he drove. "You're an intelligent and observant man and you've known us for a long time. However, this is not a secret you tell someone, while you're driving a moving vehicle. Some serious explanations are going to be required and I'm sure you're going to have at least 1000 questions."

Taro nodded and simply relaxed back in his seat in the rear of the vehicle.

"At first I assumed you were lovers," Taro added. "You were so close that at first, that was the only explanation I could come up with that made sense. As I got to know you though, I realized that you were just as close as brothers."

Aaron couldn't help himself he burst out laughing and even Dave's lips twitched in clear amusement.

"People have assumed that before," Dave explained the reason for their amusement. "They don't listen when we tell them that no we are not lovers and never have been."

"Neither one of us swing that way," Aaron added his lip still twitching.

"No, we don't," Dave confirmed. "A lot of people seem to assume that we are, just because we are so close. Of course, their assumptions are wrong, but they don't particularly care that they are."

"Being perceived that way hasn't happened in awhile, but it doesn't mean it can't," Aaron added.

Taro was glad he had offended them, but then he knew that they did not offend easily and both had good senses of humor, which was why he had said what he had. A lot of people would have been offended by his assumptions but not these two.

"Here we are," Dave said finally pulling into the parking lot of a grand hotel. The Belmont was nearly 300 years old and had thick walls. They hadn't built places like this in a long time, as people took as many shortcuts as possible to broaden their own bottom-line in this century.

The three men entered the hotel and got into the elevator, but once they were in the room all of them sat down in a little seating area that was off to one side.

"Don't ask us any questions until we're done," Dave asked. "We'll never get through our explanation if you keep interrupting."

"Afterwards, we know you'll have many questions and you're welcome to ask as many as you want to," Aaron added.

"Alright," Taro agreed, thinking it was very reasonable.  
Dave and Aaron looked at each other and finally Dave began.

Taro was taken into the world of Immortals and he didn't look as disbelieving as Dave and Aaron had figured he would, but then, there we're many legends and myths about immortal beings, especially in places like Japan.

Finally, Aaron explained how he and Dave had met.

"I met him shortly before the influenza hit," Aaron explained in a monotone. "We had only known each other for a few weeks when my family started dying due to the disease. There was no cure back then and only the strong survived. Dave knowing what kind of desperate straits I was in offered to pay for the doctor, but out of pride I refused. It was unlikely the doctor would've been able to do anything anyway, as the influenza virus hit young and old, weak and strong. Only those with very strong immune systems survived. My wife went first, as her immune system was weak, then my son, who was only a toddler, then my other children. I was the only survivor."

Taro looked sympathetic for to lose your whole family to a virus that did not have any cure at the time was horrible and would have broken lesser men.

"We buried them together and I offered to turn Aaron immortal, because he was an honorable man and I had seen this for myself over the few months we had known each other," Dave continued.

"I didn't accept at first, but we did travel together for about a decade and Dave never once censored me for a grieving for my family, like most other men of the time would have. I knew very well that most men would've called me weak for grieving for my family, as men aren't supposed to show their emotions, positive or negative, but especially the negative ones. I finally agreed to be turned immortal after that 10 years and we've been together ever since. I simply had nothing left for me in my home with my family dead, so there was no point of staying around and perhaps, drinking myself to death. In the end, I realized Dave's offer was a godsend, as I had gotten over my grief by that point, though I would always miss my children and my wife. The pain had dulled considerably, by the time, I agreed to let Dave turn me immortal," Aaron said.

"Life became much better with a companion, someone who shared many of the same opinions and ethics. I taught him how to read and write, which wasn't as hard as I expected, as he already knew how to read a little," Dave said.

"Learning to write was harder," Aaron admitted. "There were hours and hours of lessons whenever we stopped somewhere for awhile and I knew just enough simple math to not be cheated whenever I bought supplies at the market, though that was usually Berenice's responsibility. When you have so many children though, you have to be willing to help out, as someone had to stay home with them and unlike some wealthy folks we didn't have servants."

"Reading and writing was mostly for the priesthood or the high class and Aaron and I definitely weren't, but since I was immortal, I was taught these things. My family was in no way rich, but we always had enough to get by. We usually bartered for what we needed, as money wasn't used as much back then."

"In many ways those were simpler times, but there were also many diseases that killed people off by the dozens," Aaron said looking reminiscent. "I much prefer my life now, because while it can get boring I always have Dave to talk too and just having someone I can discuss anything with, a companion, made those boring times better. I know that had I lived in the time after the invention of so many cures for diseases, that at least most of my family would have lived, but it was simply not to be. The flu, for the most part, is no more dangerous today then the common cold, not like it was back then. I know people still die from it, but that's usually only because they don't go to the doctor and think they can get over it on their own."

"While this is mostly true, there are some forms of the flu that are very dangerous, particularly to older people," said Dave.

"So how did you turn Aaron immortal?" Taro asked with pure curiosity on his face.

"There's only one way to do so that was appropriate for the situation and that was to give him as much of my blood as necessary. Back then, nobody knew about the different types A, B and O," Dave shrugged. "Oh, I know that's a fairly gross way to do it, but really, the only way and Aaron trusted me enough by then, that he just drank whatever I gave him without complaint."

"It took several doses," Aaron admitted making a face, remembering the taste of Dave's blood in his mouth and the back of his throat. "There were barely needles back then, except sewing ones and no syringes, transfusions weren't invented yet. Dave could only give me a certain amount at one time or he would've been incredibly weak. It wouldn't have killed him, but it would've taken him awhile to recover and plenty of hearty meals."

"I think if I ever do anything like that again that a transfusion would be the way to go, as injecting blood directly into a vein is bound to be faster and likely won't require as much blood," Dave mused.

"I know more about the body than I used to that when I was originally born and I know that Dave's blood started replicating itself in my body, just like normal blood does, except much faster. Within days I started to feel better, stronger. My health had always been excellent, especially for the time in which I was born, I never really got sick, like so many people do throughout their lives. I always got over colds quickly, not that I had many of those, but you understand what I mean I'm sure," Aaron said.

"So finally we gave him the acid test, as it's called nowadays," Dave grinned reminiscently.

"So how do you test something like that?" Taro asked curiously.

"It's really very simple," Aaron grinned, as he remembered. "People always carried eating knives in those days, as the cutlery often couldn't be trusted if you happened to stop at a farm or an inn. Many carried a cudgel with them or at least the men did, as there were many dangers on the road, even in town, some even carried swords, if they could afford them."

"You could easily be set up on by man who wanted to rob you and then kill you, so you couldn't identify them," Dave said. "Basically, all I did was slash the palm of his hand and if it healed immediately then he was immortal. Immortals always heal fast from physical injuries, though it of course, depends on the severity, as to how long it takes. Still, we are nearly never deliberated more than a few hours at most and that is only for the most severe of injuries, as usually recovery time is much less."

"So you were shot, but the bullet likely only passed through your flesh and whatever wounds you got healed immediately," Taro realized.

"It was only a flesh wound," Aaron shrugged. "And I got it saving your life, so it was well worth it. I knew I wouldn't permanently die from it and I've been shot before, so really, it was nothing. I only lost just a little blood, hardly any at all really, as it healed in just a minute. Any pain there was, was gone by the time I realized I had been shot. It was only after I saw the hole in the side of my shirt that I realized what had happened."

"That is an amazing story," Taro said thoughtfully.

"I'm surprised that you are asking for a demonstration?" Dave said looking at his old friend thoughtfully.

"That's not necessary," Taro said shaking his head. "For one thing you know I'm very good at detecting lies, I have to be in my business. For another, we've known each other for over two decades now and you have never aged in all that time as you look exactly the same as when we first met. Also, as far as I'm aware, you have not ever lied to me. Besides, there are many legends of immortals in my homeland, though they're usually gods of some sort. You're forgetting that Japan is filled with such myths and legends, though I never expected to meet a pair of immortals. I won't claim I actually believed the legends until now, but if you can exist then what does that say about other immortals beings?"

"He does have a point," Aaron told Dave and Dave nodded.

"Yes, he does," Dave agreed.

"So where do we go from here, gentleman?" Taro asked.

"Well, you know our secret now and I know you realize that it must remain that way," said Dave. "I won't insult your intelligence or your loyalty by telling you to keep it a secret."

"We never would've told you in the first place if we didn't trust you," Aaron added.

"I know and I will keep your secret," Taro promised solemnly. "I will tell no one, not even my wife."

"She would probably never believe it anyway," Dave said, smiling slightly. "She doesn't know us as well as you do, so she probably will not notice that we haven't aged at all."

Both he and Aaron had met Taro's wife on several occasions and found her an intelligent, charming, kind lady, one with a pleasant personality that Taro clearly adored.

Now, if only they could find a couple of women for themselves, that would be a dream come true for both of them. Aaron at least had been married before, though Dave never had been.

"This is true," Taro said reflectively. "Why don't you join me at my home in New York for a vacation or something. While I assured Aiya I was fine, she will worry until she sees me for herself."

"That might be good, for a few days anyway," Dave said.

"You are welcome to stay as long as you like," Taro said firmly. "You could stay for the next year and you would not wear out your welcome, I promise you."

"We will not stay that long," Aaron said his lips twitching in amusement.

"A few weeks is a possibility," Dave said. "It might be good to get away from Chicago for awhile. I know you're still determined to see your project go through, but it can wait until your wife knows you are okay."

"I promised her I would be home as soon as the hospital released me. I'm sure I can get a flight out tomorrow," Taro said.

"We'll try to get seats on the same flight," Aaron said.

"If we can't, because it's full, we can just follow after you on the next available flight," Dave agreed. "I know it's unlikely that the flight will be full, especially first class, but you never know."

Taro nodded knowing this was true. The three of them talked for a while longer and then Taro headed back to his hotel, though both Dave and Aaron warned him to be careful, as whoever was after him was still free.

Taro took the warning too heart, as he knew his friends were just concerned for him and unlike themselves he was not immortal, so could die.

Taro bid his friends farewell and went out the door of the room to the lobby to catch a cab.

~~~Criminal Minds~~~

Please do me the courtesy of reviewing, as each review inspires a writer to come up with more fantastic tales.


	3. Chapter 3

Part 3

New York

Home of Taro and family

"Welcome to our home," greeted Taro's wife Aiya.

Aiya was a pretty Japanese woman who still had plenty of black in her long hair, but their was also still plenty of thick strands of gray.

Taro, of course, had warned his wife that he was bringing two guests, so guestrooms could be prepared.

Aiya had greeted her husband enthusiastically making sure that he was really alright, before scolding him in Japanese. Taro had taken this with good grace, as he know he probably deserved it. Dave and Aaron had had to hold back the laughter, at the scolding that Taro's wife was giving him. Taro hadn't defended himself, as he knew he would lose and simply let his wife run down.

After Taro's wife had finished scolding him she had turned towards Dave and Aaron to thank them for saving her husband's life.

Both Dave and Aaron had accepted her thanks and said that Taro was a good friend of theirs and they wanted him to live a little longer. They had known he had a wife and eight children plus numerous grandchildren. The two of them were then shown to two bedrooms side-by-side.

"So what are your plans for New York?" asked Aiya.

"Nothing really," Dave answered. "We might see some of the sites while we're here. We've been to New York before, but it's been awhile and we never had a chance to see all the sites that the tourists go too."

"After that, we'll see. We'll stay out of your hair as much as possible," Aaron said.

"Don't be silly, Aaron-san," Aiya scolded him lightly. "You'll always be welcome here. You've been a good friend to my husband for years and the fact that you saved his life means I owe you a debt I can never repay. You saved him from possibly becoming a corpse or at least where he would've been more severely injured. The least Taro and I can do is offer you houseroom until you're ready to leave."

"I have to agree and that's something I've already told them," Taro said. "They'll always be welcome and they can stay as long as they like."

"Alright, alright," Dave said holding his hands up in surrender. "Aaron and I will stay for a few weeks at least before we move on.

"Let's just enjoy dinner and Dave and I can discuss what we want to do while we're here," Aaron said.

The four of them enjoyed dinner talking quietly together.

It was around 10 when Dave and Aaron retired for the night, as both had enjoyed the pleasant company so much that they hadn't wanted retire, but knew it was time to go to bed for the night. They knew that the Kurosawas wouldn't go to bed while they were still up and the couple were considerably older than they were.

~~~Criminal Minds~~~

"So what do you think about me introducing both David-san and Aaron-san to some of my female acquaintances?" Aiya asked her husband. "And that's only if they're not together. If they are they're not obvious about it."

Taro laughed heartily at that. "No, they are only best friends," Taro promised. "They met as young men. The reason I was laughing was they explained to me that they've had other people think they are together sexually and trying to explain to those people they aren't is often impossible. They've had a few problems over the years, because they are perceived as in a relationship, instead of just being the best of friends and brothers in every way."

"Ah," Aiya said understanding why her husband was laughing

"As for doing a dinner party, I don't know if that's a good idea or not Aiya-chan," Taro said seriusly. "I won't say they couldn't use a little female companionship permanently, but it is up to them, not us. Perhaps, all they need is each other. I'm sure they've had women in the past, just never found anyone to permanently settle down with. We don't want to offend them by assuming that they even want permanent female companionship. Perhaps, they are content with just their friendship."

Taro could guess why the two hadn't settled down, as it would take a special female to believe their story and it would have to be someone that they truly loved. Settling down would require a lifetime commitment and for his two friends that would be measured in centuries, not just decades. Taro was sure that neither Dave or Aaron would mind settling down if they found the right people, but considering how old they supposedly were this was not easy. It wasn't impossible of course, just hard to find the right kind of woman that would accept such an outrageous concept as immortality.

"I suppose. I just want to see them happy, because not only did they save your life, which I will always be grateful for, but because they're getting older and should have settled down long since," Aiya admitted. "They've got to be at least in their late 40s though they don't look it if that is the case."

Taro didn't bother to tell his wife how old his friends really were, as it was a secret he would take to his grave.

"We'll just have to leave things as they are, Aiya-chan," Taro said gently. "I know it's rather painful to see them still by themselves, without permanent companions, but not everybody settles down and neither Dave or Aaron are the type to do so unless they are truly in love. This might be why the two didn't accept staying with us, as they've had multiple invitations."

Aiya nodded at this, knowing it was true.

"They might very well have guessed that you would try to set them up and they wouldn't have wanted to offend you when they turned you down," Taro said. "By offending you they would've offended me too, which is likely why they stayed away, as they wouldn't have wanted to wreck our friendship."

Aiya sighed knowing everything her husband said was true. Taro's two friends might very well have avoided staying with the family in the past for the very reason her husband had stated. They were both intelligent men and they must've known that females in particular tended to meddle in other lives. They probably hadn't wanted to insult Taro and her by turning down female attention, even if it was done politely. She suspected that if they wanted to settle down they would do so and didn't need any help in finding a woman to do that with.

Aiya sighed and give in.

"Alright, fine, I'll stay out of it," Aiya said.

"Good, Aiya-chan," Taro said, hugging her gently. "It is for the best, trust me on that."

"I suppose so," Aiya said. Not that she entirely agreed, but she would stay out of it like she had promised her husband. "Are you going back to Chicago?"

"I have to, my dearest one, you know that," Taro said. "I am even more determined to see this project completed. It will help so many people Aiya-chan. It will give people decent jobs with decent pay and you know very well that the mob doesn't like that, as people who have hope won't do drugs or at least they are less likely to, as someone with no hope at all."

"At least hire a couple of bodyguards," Aiya begged.

"I already told, Dave-san and Aaron-san that I will not do that, as they made the same suggestion. They will only get in my way and likely prevent me accomplishing what I must."

Aiya sighed and gave in as she knew her husband was a stubborn man.

"You be careful, very careful. You've already nearly died once, before the project even got off the ground floor," Aiya tried.

"You know there are no guarantees in life," Taro told his wife. "I hope to live another 20 years with numerous grandchildren around me, but it might not be meant to be Aiya-chan. You said you accepted this when we got married over 30 years ago."

"I just don't want to loose you Taro-kun," Aiya admitted. "Hearing that you had been hurt, even if it was just a flesh wound, thanks to Aaron's intervention, scared me more than I've ever been scared in my life. I knew intellectually, that what you did to help the poor could be dangerous, since there are plenty of criminals that don't like that, but I never imagined somebody would try to kill you, before the project is even really in the beginning stages."

"Dave and Aaron also think that they were rather preemptive, and while they agree it might be the mob, it could also be another one of my many enemies. I have plenty like that that are less than honest. They want to build cheap and pocket the difference or they simply don't want to give people decent pay. The only trouble with that is when you do that then buildings don't last as long as they should when you use such shortcuts. Innocent people have been hurt in the past because less than honest people do shortcuts instead of doing it right."

Aiya knew this, so nodded. She knew enough about business to know her husband was right and she was proud of him for always doing the right thing, even if it was dangerous occasionally. She was so proud of him for refusing to be bribed by those who wanted to use cheaper materials just to make more money, materials that wouldn't last as long. That was probably why the mob or whoever it had been had gone after him in the first place. They had to know that her husband was simply too honest to accept a bribe. She knew that Taro came from a poor family and he had escaped from poverty with a scholarship to a good college, where he had excelled in business. It had been years of hard work and a lot of overtime, but now they were among the richest families in New York. She didn't care about that though, so long as her husband came back to her.

The two of them went to bed and fell right asleep in each others arms.

~~~Criminal Minds~~~

"I tell you Dave, I recognized her," Aaron told his friend. Aaron was waving his hands in the air to emphasize his words. It was several weeks later. Dave and Aaron had been out exploring New You and they had just gotten back from such a trip and were sitting in Dave's room in a little seating area that was part of the suite.

The two of them were just getting back from their day of sightseeing and Aaron was all hot and bothered. He could have sworn he had seen Berenice in the crowd. Really, all he had seen was a profile and the back of a dark head before she was gone. However, it had struck Aaron like lightning. He had been so sure that it was his Berenice comeback to him.

"I'm not saying you're wrong, Aaron," Dave said calmly placing a friendly hand on his arm. "Just finding this lady, that you're so sure is your former wife, is going to be difficult at best. Do you know how many dark haired ladies live in New York?"

"Thousands," Aaron said dispiritedly, slumping down in his chair. "I can also be wrong and she might just look like my wife from so long ago. A lot of people share similar facial features and the same color hair or eyes. It just struck me, you know? I have never seen anyone that resembled my wife so closely before now. Some have shared the same eye color or the shape of them. Some females have had her nose, and there's been a few that have had the shape of her jaw and her lips, full and luscious, but I know these are just common features that show up from time to time."

"Or your wife could very well be reincarnated and just waiting for you to discover her," Dave suggested.

Aaron had never been sure if he believed in reincarnation, but he had never seen anyone so closely resembling his wife that had died of influenza so long ago. It could very well be coincidence or it could be finally his wife come back to him. To have his wife by his side again...

"I want you to be honest with me. Do you think it was Berenice? Or is it just a coincidence that she looks so much like the woman I loved so many centuries ago now. I only got the briefest of glimpses of her face, so I know very well I could be wrong," Aaron asked his friend.

Dave knew despite their tight friendship that Aaron had never forgotten his wife or his children that had died so long ago. Nor should he be expected to, though he didn't often mention them, as it was simply to painful. He tried to answer his friend as honestly as he could.

"It's quite possible that your wife has been reincarnated," Dave said. "Immortals, at least if one was born that way, often believe in reincarnation, though those who are made don't necessarily. However, despite this age of technology it's not going to be easy to find someone, if that's even possible. New York alone has millions of people and it's possible she could be a visitor here. It's also very possible that this is her home, but even if it is, it would take years maybe decades to find her, since we don't even know her name, first or last. She is more than likely mortal, which means she will age just like they all do, just like Taro and his wife have, so spending the next few few decades looking for her would be fruitless and a gigantic waste of time. Besides, if she was immortal we tend to do a lot of traveling, as you know."

"So what can we do?" Aaron asked anxiously.

"Well, let's think about this logically," Dave suggested. "We don't need to go around like chickens with our heads cut off or like Chicken Little that told everyone that the sky was falling," Dave said with a small smile.

Aaron chuckled at that for he had seen the movie and it had been very amusing.

"I say we be seen around New York for the next week or two at least. If you were meant to find each other, if this really is your wife that passed away so long ago, then you will bump into each other again, because it will be fated. I don't want you to be disappointed if that doesn't happen, or that it doesn't turn out that she's your long dead wife come back to you," Dave cautioned his friend.

"I might be a little disappointed if that happens, but I'm half expecting that this lady is going to turn out, just to look like my Berenice. It is genetically possible for someone to look nearly exactly like an ancestor, no matter how distant that relationship. It's also quite possible that some of my wife's nieces or cousins or even her sister survived the influenza epidemic bringing the family into the future by having children each generation until today. She also had at least one brother, though she didn't talk much about her family, which was very strange for the time actually, as fathers usually had to give permission to marry one of their daughters and I was so dirt poor I doubt he would've done so no matter how much we loved each other."

"He might have been dead," Dave suggested. "People died really early in those days, even those that were in the best of health."

"That's possible actually," Aaron considered thoughtfully. "Still, I should've at least met the rest of her family."

"She might've just have broken off from the rest of her family because her parents might have wanted her to marry someone that she didn't even know, except vaguely. He might've been cruel or 20 years older than she was, as that happened often back in those days."

"She certainly had a very strong will, strong enough to do exactly what you suggest," Aaron smiled in remembrance of his late wife. "If that's what she did she never said anything to me. I just know I met her when I was going to the market to get a few basic supplies, that I had to get to know her better. I had been living on my own for years before I met Berenice. The first time I saw her it was like being struck in the back of the head with a hard blow. I was awestruck by her beauty. I just had to get to know this lovely lady, though I was well aware that she might have a boyfriend or fiancé, or even a husband."

"What would you have done if she had?" Dave asked curiously.

"I probably would've mooned for her from afar," Aaron admitted causing Dave to chuckle. "I did pretty well living by myself, but I wanted a wife and children eventually. Luckily, for me, she was basically living on her own, though she told me that she had siblings. I suppose I should've wondered about it at the time, as females just didn't do that, live on their own I mean, not unless they were a widow, but it never even occurred to me back then. Times were often hard, but we loved each other so much."

"You have to remember that times were very different back then," Dave reminded Aaron who nodded.

"Yeah, I know times are so different right now, then when I was born and even more different from when you were," Aaron admitted. "Now, I don't have to ask her father for her hand, if she is my love come back to me. Her father may very well be dead for all I know."

"Let's not worry about that right now for us we need to learn her identity," Dave said. "We can worry about the details once we find her."

"What will happen to you if this woman turns out to be my loss love?" Aaron asked suddenly. "Honestly, we are brothers in every way and I don't want to lose that connection."

"I don't see why we can't travel together if this woman does turn out to be the wife you lost. I promise I'll give you plenty of alone time when you need it," Dave said calmly with a smile. "I won't abandon you, I promise, as you have been my companion and my best friend for far too long. Let's think about that later though, as this lady might just turn out to be a close duplicate of your former wife Berenice."

"Well, at least I have money this time," Aaron mused. "I won't have to struggle to pay the bills, like I did when I was originally born. You've helped me build a fortune that's enough to last me probably for the next 500 years, even if this woman and I have 100 children. You've taught me how to invest. I always worried where my family's next meal was coming from back then, you know. Finding work was hard, especially steady work, since we didn't live in a big city."

"Let's worry about that later," Dave said. "If you find out that this woman is your wife reincarnated then I'll be very happy for you and hopefully, I can find someone for myself."

"Well, as you said that's for later and I think it's time to have some lunch. I'm starving!"

"You are always hungry," Dave chuckled. "It's a good thing you exercise like you do or you'd be extremely overweight."

"Call it a holdover from my near starvation conditions when I was originally born. It was hard to feed my family and myself and I often went hungry. I certainly never got enough to keep a body of my size from being half starved all the time."

"Trying to take better care of your family when there's hardly any money is always hard my friend," Dave said soberly. "Even if back then, it was mostly bartering, especially among the lower class."

The two men fell silent and headed for lunch, which they knew would be soon, as they'd been here for over a week and knew when the meals were. Lunch was usually in the kitchen, because there was no one present, except the servants, Taro's wife and themselves, so there was no reason to set places in the big dining room unless you wanted to be formal all the time. Once he and Aaron had assured Taro's wife that they didn't mind informal meals, they didn't use the dining room for lunch at least.

~~~Criminal Minds~~~


	4. Chapter 4

Part 4

Aiya slipped away when she knew the conversation was coming to an end. Immortals? she thought. Were these two men delusional? No that couldn't be it, Aiya decided. For one thing her husband would've known if they were delusional and never would have associated with them. So that likely meant that they really were immortal and had been around for centuries if the conversation that they had been having was anything to go by. Did Taro know they were immortal or had they kept that secret from him as well? It was quite possible that they hadn't told him, though her husband wasn't stupid. In fact, he was a very intelligent man. She had often wondered why Dave and Aaron looked like they hadn't aged a day in all the years she had known them. This was probably the reason they had never settled down as well, as sharing such a secret was dangerous. The only way that she could see it happening was if they were both truly in love and willing to turn their chosen female immortal like themselves, if that was even possible. Aiya couldn't see them settling down with a mortal woman, because they would die eventually growing older as the years passed, while both Dave and Aaron would stay the same. Before long any woman would look like they're mother instead of their wives, while they stayed exactly the same.

Should she confront them about this? Or should she not reveal that she now knew their secret? She should probably mention it to Taro first, Aiya decided. If he didn't know then it would be something of a surprise, but if he did he had probably sworn to take the secret to his grave and not tell anyone else, not even her.

If her husband did know how long had he known? It might be fairly recent, probably when he was shot and Aaron had saved his life. It was quite possible that Aaron had been hit with a bullet, even if was only a flesh wound in order to save her husband's life. In fact, that was the likely possibility. If that was the case, it hadn't been very long at all that Taro had known. Of course, she knew it also might be an older secret, one that Dave and Aaron had told him after they had known each other for awhile. She could certainly understand the need for secrecy and Aiya doubted either one of them had told many people over the years. It wasn't like they weren't human, they were likely just very hard to kill. She had no doubt that they could die if the circumstances were right, as that made more sense then them being some kind of gods and unable to die at all. She went over all the legends and myths she had read about immortal beings and wondering if any of them had anything to do with Dave and Aaron.

She would find out, but she didn't want to insult her guests, as they had saved Taro's life and that gave them an incredible amount leeway as far she was concerned. They would always be welcome here and she would assure they knew that.

She was going to have to be very careful about what she said and she knew it.

She would talk to Taro as soon as he got home.

Luckily, for her curiosity, Taro was home in a matter of hours.

"What's the matter, Aiya-chan," Taro inquired.

Aiya told him and Taro pursed his lips. Finally, he said, "They were careless, which isn't like them at all. On the other hand, you shouldn't have listened at their door."

This last statement was said in a gentle, chiding tone, causing Aiya to blush, as she knew her husband was absolutely correct.

"No, I shouldn't have," Aiya admitted looking guilty. "I just happened they hear the word immortal and I couldn't pull myself away."

"Well, Dave and Aaron are very understanding and probably won't mind you knowing," Taro paused, seeming to be thinking. "The only reason they told me is I mentioned how it was a miracle that Aaron hadn't been hurt shoving me out of the way of that gunfire. I had been curious for years why the two of them hadn't aged a day in all the time I'd known them. Both of them then shared this very long, silent conversation. I've never seen anything like it. They seemed to understand each other just from their expressions and body language."

"Well, if they've known each other for centuries and then they're bound to know how the other thinks by this time. Recognize every expression, every bit of body language. I'm sure they've been in many situations over the years that would require them to be able to communicate like that."

"There is an idea," Taro said, thoughtfully. "That's something that hadn't occurred to me, so likely, you're right. They've known each other for very long time, so they're able to communicate by not speaking a word."

"So Aaron mentioned something about a wife," Aiya said.

"I'll let Aaron tell you his story if he's willing," Taro said. "It is not my place to do so and might upset him if he knew I had. I will inform them that you are aware of what they are and how that came about. What they do about it is up to them."

"That's fair," Aiya said disappointed. It really was fair though, as she shouldn't have been listening at the door, because it wasn't like their voices had been loud. It was just that one word had captured her attention.

"Now, it is nearly time for dinner, Aiya-chan. I will tell them tomorrow. I won't be surprised if they leave immediately."

"I don't see that happening if this lady that Aaron saw is really his former wife. I realized that it might just be a lady that looks similar to the one he lost, but they're going to want to stay for awhile and try to find her I'm sure," Aiya reminded Taro.

"I hadn't considered that, but you're right, though they could get a hotel room," Taro said.

"Why waste the money, when they can stay here for free, with both of us knowing their secret?" Aiya pointed out.

That was a good point Taro admitted, though he also admitted that the money didn't really matter to either man, as just like him they had plenty of it, though apparently they hadn't at one time. They had likely built up a fortune though wise investments.

"Come now, dinner should be ready," Taro urged his wife gently.

Aiya complied without a word knowing that soon her guests would know that she knew their secret, which could be either good or bad.

~~~Criminal Minds~~~

Both Aaron and Dave took the news well when they were told that Aiya had learned their secret. They should've been more careful and they knew it, but they just never imagined that anybody would listen outside their door, not in a place like this. Still, it wasn't bad news really, as they knew that Taro's wife would say nothing. They would just have to be more careful in the future.

"This just ought to prove we need to be more careful in the future," Aaron said seriously, but with a smile. "We are lucky that it was only Aiya that overheard us. We know she'll do nothing with the information and that she is honest like Taro."

"I shouldn't have been surprised that she had noticed we haven't hardly aged at all, as we have met on several occasions," Dave admitted. "Some people have better memories and observational skills then others. We were lucky this time yes, lucky, that it wasn't someone who would use the information to try to blackmail us."

"Trying to blackmail us wouldn't work anyway," Aaron grinned fiercely.

"No, it wouldn't," Dave agreed somewhat grimly. "Blackmailers are often cowards, though not always, and it is considered a nonphysical crime. Still, we would deal with any such attempt quite harshly and they would regret trying to blackmail us."

"So what do you want to do today," Aaron asked, trying to not let his anxiety show.

"Well, we need to go out and be seen, if we ever want to find this lady you saw," Dave said. "We should take in a concert in the park as there's always plenty of those in the summer. For all we know she could love music though there're so many different types..."

"Still, it's a place to start," Aaron agreed. "I remember that Berenice loved music, but couldn't sing very well at all. I think that always disappointed her actually. She probably wanted to be a great musician or at least a singer, but didn't have the talent. Still, she enjoyed listening to it whenever musicians came through, though those that traveled weren't very good most of the time. There was a time or two though, where they were more than decent."

"People often have dreams and they have no talent for," Dave said. "Your wife didn't have a scrap of musical talent when it came to singing or the money to purchase an instrument in which to learn."

"No she didn't," Aaron sighed looking melancholy. "I suppose that doesn't matter now."

The two men discussed what they wanted to do for the rest of the day and then got ready to leave.

"Here's to hoping that it is fate that has brought my wife back to me," Aaron said finally in a solemn tone.

"I hope so too, my friend," Dave said sincerely. "Let us hope it is truly your wife come back to you after all this time, instead of someone that just looks a great deal like her."

The two men shared a solemn look and left Dave's room where they had been talking.

"So are you going to tell Aiya about what happened all those centuries ago?" Dave asked his friend.

"You think I should?" Aaron asked looking thoughtful.

"Not necessarily," Dave said. "It really depends if it brings you any pain, even after all this time, to talk about it. It was a tragedy, no doubt about it, to lose your whole family in one fell swoop over just a few weeks. I realize that tragedies happen every day somewhere in the world, but they are not usually so great as losing everyone you love. Usually there is at least one or more survivors."

This was true, Aaron knew so he nodded.

"We could let Taro tell her, as he knows your history now," Dave gently suggested. "He wouldn't have said a word about your history without your permission, as he's an honorable man."

"I'll go talk to Taro, right quick before we leave," Aaron decided, somewhat relieved that he would not have to talk about it again so soon. "While I have come to grips with my past sometime ago, thanks mostly to you, it is still very painful for me to talk about. Of course, if this lady, really is my Berenice come back to me, well, that past will not be so painful anymore, more bittersweet."

"You need to be patient," Dave advised and Aaron nodded.

"I know I do, but it's hard," Aaron admitted. "You know I'm normally very patient, but at the same time, this is so very important to me. I need to know whether this lady really is my lost love. If she is not then, as I told you before, I will be disappointed, but I'm halfway expecting that anyway, but if she is Berenice I will do anything I have to, to win her heart."

"I understand that, Aaron," Dave said. "Still, try to be as patient as you can, even if I realize how difficult that will be."

Aaron nodded telling his friend that he would try, but he was making no promises.

~~~Criminal Minds~~~

"Sit down," Taro suggested to his wife gently. This was the weekend and he didn't work them unless he absolutely had to. Weekends were for family, unless he was on a business trip. "Aaron-san has given me permission to tell you his history. It is still painful for him to talk about, even after all this time, which is why he is leaving me to tell you."

Aiya nodded and got comfortable.

Taro went on to explain exactly what had happened before Dave had discovered him.

"That is so sad," Aiya said once her husband had finished. "I know times were so much more primitive back then, but still, that was a great tragedy."

"Yes, it was," Taro agreed with his wife. "Not only was Aaron-san trying to support his family on inadequate funds, he lost all of them to disease that was much more deadly back then. He admitted that if he hadn't gone with Dave he probably would've lost himself in the bottom of a bottle and likely eventually died from alcohol poisoning."

"So Aaron was originally mortal then," Aiya said.

"Yes, what of it?" Taro asked.

"Well, I was just thinking earlier that there had to be someway to turn somebody immortal, though that was before I knew that Aaron-san originally started out like you and me," Aiya explained what she been thinking.

"Ah!" Taro said in understanding.

"At least there is a different way to give somebody blood now instead of having to drink it, though I understand that was the only way to do it back in the time Aaron-san was born," Aiya said.

"Yes, there were no needles back then, except sewing needles of course, much less IVs," Taro gravely agreed.

"You know I never believed in reincarnation, but if this lady that Aaron saw for a brief second in a crowd turns out to be his long dead wife, then I could probably become a believer," Aiya said.

"I never believed in it either, but it could possibly exist," Taro said. "Immortals do after all, so who's to say other supernatural things don't?"

"This might explain why neither one of them has gotten married. It would take a special lady indeed to settle down with someone for centuries instead of just decades," Aiya said

"Yes, it would," Taro agreed.

"If Aaron is still pining after his wife after all this time and it must've been a true love match, so if I believed in fate or the gods I would say that they're giving him a break," Aiya said.

"That's possible," Taro agreed after moment. "I hope that this lady does turn out to be his long dead wife, because they can start a family again. While there are still dangers in this century, life is much surer now and more peaceful, then way back when Aaron-san was initially born. I'm sure that he'll turn this lady immortal with her permission," Taro said. "I know that if only this lady turns out to be his long-lost love, he'll be ecstatic."

"I hope it turns out okay," Aiya said.

"So do I, because they are my friends and I would like to see them happy, settled down with mates of their own," Taro said. "That might not happen before both of us leave this Earth, but I'm hoping it will."

"Me too," Aiya agreed solemnly.

~~~Criminal Minds~~~


	5. Chapter 5

Part 5

Dave and Aaron were sitting on the grass waiting for the concert to start. Both of them enjoyed various kinds of music, though both hated rap. Still, they loved, easy listening and some of the rock'n roll from the 50s and 60s. Both men were dressed in casual jeans and shirts, as this wasn't the time for going fancy. They would've looked out of place had they showed up in slacks and collared shirts.

This was an easy listening concert from a group that both enjoyed.

The concert began and both men were silent as they listened to the music.

Both men listened and enjoyed the excellent band.

"This was a really good idea," Aaron said smiling once intermission came around. "We haven't just sat and listened to music in awhile. I know you can hear music when you go into restaurants and stores, but it's not the same."

"It's not music of your choosing," Dave suggested calmly. "And really, to be truthful, you hardly ever notice the music that is played in public places, because it's such a common thing."

"You learn very early to tune it out," Aaron agreed. "Of course, if it is terrible you take more notice, then if it is something you like."

Dave knew this to be true so nodded

Suddenly a lady plopped down beside them without a by your leave.

"Join us," Dave said amused

"Sorry I arrived so late. I really meant to be here before the concert even started, but I was unavoidably delayed," The lady said. The dark haired lady didn't say why she had been delayed, but it wasn't his or Aaron's business.

Aaron was startled by the soft voice, as it was oh so familiar and he turned to look at who had sat beside him. He still remembered what his wife sounded like even to this day. Her voice had usually been soft, as she rarely lost her temper, but she also had a very strong personality when required and could strip you down to size with a few well-chosen words.

"Berenice?" Aaron asked stiffening beside Dave.

"No, I'm sorry, my name's Emily," Emily said staring at the handsome man and she had sat down beside. "Emily Prentiss."

"I'm sorry, my lady," Aaron said recovering himself and giving her a half bow from where he was sitting. "You look so much like my Berenice, that you could be her twin."

Emily cocked her head curiously at this handsome man with his dark hair and eyes. "From the way you talk something must've happened to your lady love.

"She died," Aaron answered, not bothering to go into detail.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Emily sympathized.

"It's alright, it happened a very long time ago," Aaron said. When Aaron said it happened a very long time ago he meant that quite literally, as it wasn't just a few years ago, but centuries since his wife had died.

Dave watched this silently and was sure that this was Aaron's former wife Berenice, even if she did not remember being so. Dave knew something about reincarnation and he was well aware that sometimes all it took for whoever it was that had been reincarnated to get their memories back was to encounter someone that they had seen before, someone they had known quite well. That certainly applied to Aaron, because he and Berenice had been married for years after all and had been intimate with each other. From all reports they had been quite close up until her death. There had been no arranged marriage, which would make it easy for this Emily to get her memories back, if she truly was Berenice.

This Emily might not remember her life before now, but it would likely come back the more time she spent around Aaron. Dave listened silently as Aaron asked Emily for a date if she didn't have anyone to go home to and heard Emily enthusiastically accepting.

It was agreed that Aaron would go with Emily and they'd have dinner at a restaurant together, before Emily dropped him off it where he was staying.

"You don't mind do you?" Emily asked Aaron's friend whom she had yet to learn the name of.

"Oh, so you finally noticed me," Dave joked, smiling. "I'm David Rossi. Aaron and I have been friends for a long time. Don't worry about me, I'll take the car home and keep myself occupied while you two go on your date."

"It's nice to meet you, David," Emily said shaking the other man's hand politely.

"Just Dave will do, my lady, there's no reason to be so formal," Dave said gallantly, kissing the back of her fingers lightly.

Aaron glared at him and Dave winked. Aaron relaxed and knew that Dave was just being his usual charming self.

Emily giggled at Dave's fake gallantry, even as she blushed. She knew very well that Dave would never try to steal her from his friend, which meant he was just teasing her and likely teasing Aaron at the same time, by making him insanely jealous.

"You need to find someone for yourself, so get your own woman, Dave," Aaron told him firmly, but with a hint of a smile.

"I have yet to meet anyone that would meet my exacting standards," Dave joked.

"You also really haven't tried have you?" Aaron said. "Remember we've been best friends for a long time. I know very well you haven't tried to seriously find someone to settle down with."

"I'll have to try harder now," Dave admitted more seriously.

Emily watched the tennis match between the two men silently and knew they must be very close, because despite the apparent seriousness of the conversation they were mostly teasing each other if she was any judge.

Aaron wasn't really jealous or at least not much and Dave wasn't really trying to get her attention, not seriously at any rate. He wouldn't succeed, as the minute she set eyes on Aaron, she felt if she had known him forever. Years at least, maybe even decades. Dave had likely seen this to and so was only teasing his best friend.

The three finished watching the concert together and then walked slowly to the parking lot.

The cars weren't parked to far away from each other by sheer coincidence and so they waited until Dave got in his car, before and they started towards Emily's.

~~~Criminal Minds~~~

"So where is Aaron?" Aiya asked the obvious question, when Dave entered the house without the other man by his side.

"He met a Emily Prentiss at the concert in the park," Dave explained to Taro and his lady. "He was rather shocked when he looked over and saw Emily Prentiss looks like an exact duplicate of his former wife Berenice. Right now, they are on a date."

"This is wonderful," Aiya said enthusiastically.

"I wouldn't be too enthusiastic quite yet," Dave cautioned his friends, though that was mostly Aiya.

"Why?" Taro asked curiously.

"Because it's quite possible that this Emily Prentiss might be a near genetic duplicate of Aaron's former wife, might even be distantly related, but might not actually be reincarnated. If she is reincarnated there are ways to get her memories back, because she doesn't appear to remember anything of her past life yet, which is quite common."

"How?" Aiya asked before Taro could.

"Well, the way it usually works is that the more time she spends around somebody she was very familiar with in her past life the more her former memories will start to surface, which would definitely include Aaron, since they were married for years and had half a dozen children. I won't be surprised at all if she starts having dreams of her former life while she sleeps and the more time she spends with him the more her memories will start to return, as that's usually how these things work, though it is possible to have flashbacks when you're conscious too. Sometimes, physical contact is required."

"You're talking about sex," Taro suggested amused.

"Actually, I was talking more along the lines of a kiss," Dave shrugged, trying to keep himself from chuckling at Taro's assumption, though he couldn't really blame the man. "I know it's been written about in fairytales, but that doesn't mean that there isn't some truth to the old tales."

"So how will Aaron get back?" Aiya asked.

"Emily offered to drive him here after their date," Dave shrugged.

"So are you upset that your brother has finally found someone?" Taro asked.

"Not really," Dave said. "We'll still be best friends, even if this Emily Prentiss is his former wife. I'll have no trouble including her in our travels. Aaron and I already talked about this and I assured him I'm not going to abandon him, just because he might find someone to finally start a family with. If there's one thing you learn when you're basically immortal is patience. I know that Aaron wants a family and has for a long time, ever since he got over his original family's deaths. In fact, if Aaron settles down it will encourage me to try to find someone for myself. I'm not claiming that either one of us have been total eunuchs without women in our lives occasionally, it's that most of them would never deal with being immortal and they'd drive Aaron and I batty in no time. I'm not going to turn someone like that immortal. I'd have to be crazy to do so. I also want someone that's going be loyal to me and not cheat when my back is turned. None of the ladies that I had brief relationships with over the years fit that description, except for three and four of them and they'd never have handled being immortal. You have to know how to adopt to a lot of different situations when you're immortal. I've fought in wars and been part of strikes, I've seen the evil man can do, where they do their best to suppress their workers and instead of treating them decently, decent working conditions, decent pay. I've seen women struggle for more rights for a long time, wanting more freedom and not to be treated like objects or to be put on top of pedestals that men have placed them on, when men insist they aren't as capable as they are and have seen where they often prove they are more so."

Taro and Aiya listened as Dave described in detail some of his past experiences. Unlike a lot of people in the past he had never gone hungry, at least not to the extent that Aaron had before he had met Dave.

"I have to agree. There it is a large difference between a one night stand and a permanent relationship," Taro commented once Dave was done and Aiya nodded in complete agreement.

"Exactly," Dave said relieved that his friends understood what he was trying to say, but he really shouldn't be surprised because both were intelligent and Taro especially could not run his business empire if he lacked intelligence, a strong business sense and a certain amount of slyness that came in getting something over an opponent and beating him or her to the draw. It was these traits that made his friend such a success in business.

"It doesn't matter who we sleep with as we can't get any STDs, AIDS for instance or syphilis, chlamydia or gonorrhea. Whatever it is about our blood takes care of anything like that so we stay healthy."

"That would certainly be something nice to have," Aiya said. "It sure would help a lot of people if they couldn't get any STDs from whoever they sleep with."

"I know that it's more dangerous to sleep with someone today than it was way back when I was originally born or even when Aaron was. A lot of those things didn't exist back then, though I think it's compensated in this century because before, you died at a much younger age, either from giving birth to much, or from some sickness or from working too hard until your body was just worn out. Very few lived past 40 in those days, and a lot of people died in their late 20s early 30s. This century there is updated medical technology that saves many lives every year. I know it can't cure everything, but it sure is better than centuries ago when medicine was very primitive. People often died of things that can be cured now, not just influenza."

"Which is why the women got married and had children as soon as they started their menstrual cycle," Aiya suggested a little boldly, as normally such things were not talked about, especially around men either one's own husband.

Taro looked rather embarrassed at the subject matter and Dave didn't blame him.

"She's right, my friend," Dave told Taro. "I know it's not a subject that you talk about to men normally, but women did get married very young back in those days, around 13 or 14 for most of them. Right after they started their period, as it's called. They needed to have as many children as possible, because so many died in infancy or as young children. The many diseases prevalent at the time carried off whole platoons of them."

"You'll tell us how it goes?" Taro asked, changing the subject.

"I'll tell you what I can," Dave promised hiding a smile. "If this Emily really is Berenice then I can see Aaron getting married to her, but he's also not one to rush into anything. It'll likely be a few months at least before we have to worry about being invited to a wedding."

"We'll look forward to it," Taro said formally while smiling. "I truly hope it works out, because I would like to see you both settle down before I leave this world."

"I can certainly understand that my friend," Dave responded. "I'll have no trouble settling down, with the right woman of course. Somebody I can love and cherish for the rest of my immortal life, someone that will drive me crazy occasionally, as that's just human nature, while I'll do the same, someone to cherish, to spoil and who does the same for me."

"That's the way it should be, Dave-san," Taro said smiling.

~~~Criminal Minds~~~

"So how did your date go?" Dave asked and immediately as soon as his friend knocked on the door. It was still quite early really at only 9 o'clock in the evening. The concert had been an afternoon one, so it had been over by 5 o'clock.

"It went great," Aaron grinned. "We ate this little bistro where the food was fantastic. Emily chose it, since I don't know New York as well as she does. She lives here, I do not, so I allowed her to choose the place."

"Well, good, I'm glad it went so well," Dave said. "So do you think...?"

"I know what you're asking," Aaron said his eyes sparkling happily. "And yes, I'm even more sure that Emily, my lady love has come back to me. There are just too many things that remind me of my Berenice. Certain mannerisms for instance, the way she walks, the way she gestures when she's talking about something that excites her, even the way she sighs. I know my Berenice is reincarnated in the lovely, Emily Prentiss. The only differences at least at the moment is that her teeth are white. There was just no way to keep someone's teeth white back in the past. They would turn yellow with tartar if nothing else and also she's a little taller then my Berenice, but I suppose, I should expect a few differences."

"Nobody's reincarnation is exact," Dave told Aaron who nodded. "That's not to say that they aren't many similarities, and could even be a near identical copy of the previous one, but there's always a few differences. Like you said all the things you've noticed the only difference is that Emily is a little taller and her teeth are white instead of yellow with tartar. You're right, it was hard to keep your teeth clean in those days, especially for the very poor. There was no toothpaste or toothpowder back then."

Aaron was nodding at this, because Dave was exactly right. Aaron's teeth were white, because he had worked hard once whitening toothpaste had been invented to whiten his teeth.

"So does she know she's reincarnated?" Dave asked.

"Not from what I can tell," Aaron answered honestly.

"There are ways to make her remember," Dave assured Aaron.

"How?" Aaron asked, with such longing in his voice that it nearly broke Dave's heart.

"The more she hangs around you, the more she's going to start to remember. You're not someone she saw infrequently, you were the love of her life, just like she was of yours, trust me, that will help. The more the two of you to go out, the more that she'll believe she knows you. She probably already has a sense of familiarity with you, which is likely why she accepted a date from a total stranger immediately not even seeming to think about it. Your Berenice was likely guiding her actions, even if she doesn't remember being that person at the moment. I wouldn't be surprised if she already feels like she's known you all her life. The more you spend time together, the more she'll start to have dreams, maybe even flashbacks from her first life. She probably won't remember it all at once, as seeing the whole thing at one time could be rather traumatic. She will likely remember her past in pieces, as that's the way these kind of things usually work. Also physical contact will likely help."

"You're talking about a kiss," Aaron said, knowing how Dave thought by now.

"Well, you certainly did better in guessing what kind of physical contact than Taro did," Dave grinned amused. "I told them about you meeting Emily when they saw me came back without you when I had to explain where you were."

"So what was Taro's guess?" Aaron asked with an amused expression.

"Can't you guess?" Dave asked with laughter in his eyes.

"He suggested sexual intercourse, didn't he?" asked Aaron, his eyes twinkling in amusement.

"Yes, he did, though we really shouldn't be surprised at that. After all, if I didn't know anything about this type of thing my first guess probably would've been the same. It is a form of physical contact after all and it would be the first thing to occur to most men no matter how intelligent," Dave reminded Aaron.

"You didn't come straight out and say it, so one of them had to guess," Aaron said knowing very well Dave's sense of humor.

"I was actually trying to be polite in this case, as it's not a kind of subject you bring up when you're the guest of someone, especially not to someone like Taro and his wife. They're from a generation that generally don't talk about that kind thing and yes, I know that we are much older then they are, but when you're an immortal you need to learn to be flexible in every situation, as you well know."

"That's true," Aaron agreed.

"So when is your next date?" Dave asked.

"Tomorrow," Aaron said cheerfully.

"Well, good, the more time you spend around Emily the better," Dave recommended.

"You won't be too lonely?" Aaron asked his friend.

"No, I lived hundreds of years without a companion," Dave assured his friend. "I'll be perfectly fine on my own."

"Well, this is only going to be until lunchtime and we can do something together afterwards," Aaron said. "I'm supposed to meet her for breakfast at a little café, I know about. After that, she has some errands to run."

"That's good then," Dave said smiling.

"I told you I would never forget about the connection we share," Aaron promised him solemnly. "I don't want to lose you as a friend."

"I already promised you, you wouldn't," Dave said solemnly. "I was just thinking that once Emily gets her memory back you guys can get married and the three of us can travel for awhile. Of course, I know you want children, but all these plans are for the future."

"That sounds really good," Aaron decided. "There is no point of making any plans now until Emily has her memory back, but that's a good plan for later. If I turn Emily immortal, well, we might not want to have children right away. We'll just see how it goes. I'm not one to rush into anything, but I haven't been this happy in a very long time."

"I don't blame you for that and in fact, I'm very happy for you," Dave promised his friend sincerely. "Now, if only I could find someone for myself, we could all travel together before settling somewhere."

"I'll help you with that," Aaron promised. "It's only right that you also have a permanent partner. It's quite possible that Emily knows someone that you could fall in love with, but lets not get ahead of ourselves."

"No, let's not. We can worry about all that later, once you've had a chance to get to know Emily better and one she has her memory back," Dave agreed bidding Aaron goodnight, as Aaron left to go to his own room that was right next-door."

~~~Criminal Minds~~~


	6. Chapter 6

Part 6

"I'll see you tomorrow," Aaron told Emily. It was just after their date and Aaron had dropped Emily off at her apartment and walked her to her door. The two of them had been dating for over two weeks.

"Don't you think it's time you kissed me good night?" Emily asked. "There is such thing as being too much of a gentleman."

"I'll be happy to," Aaron grinned winking at her. "I was just waiting for you to be ready for that."

"I've been ready for that for what seems like forever," Emily told him and Aaron nodded, because he felt exactly the same.

The two of them shared a soft, tender kiss and Aaron got lost in it. Emily lips felt exactly as Berenice's had when they had kissed, he remembered their texture, their softness, the lusciousness of them.

Finally, the kiss broke and Emily stared at him with a dazed expression.

"That was something else," Emily finally said seeming to come out of her daze. "Why do your lips seem so familiar? Why does it seem like I have kissed them 1000 times?"

Aaron said nothing simply kissed her again in order to distract her, as now was not the time to reveal all.

"I must depart," Aaron finally said feeling incredibly reluctant.

"I'll see you tomorrow," Emily agreed looking just as reluctant to let him go. "You could perhaps stay over?"

"If I do then I'll do something that neither one of us is ready for," Aaron told her gently. "Believe me, your offer is a very tempting one, but since I'm staying with a friend, I really need to get back. I don't want to keep the servants up just to let me into the house, as that would be rude."

Emily nodded at this, because it was true. It would be incredibly rude to keep the servants up waiting for him to come in so they could go to bed. She had driven up to the place he was staying on the first date and she had been surprised that he was basically staying in a mansion. He had explained that Taro and his wife were friends of his and Dave's and they were staying with them for awhile. Emily could understand why they weren't staying in a hotel if they had that kind of offer. Hotels could be expensive and if someone offers to give you a place to stay for free why not take them up on it, so long as you knew and trusted the people involved of course.

Aaron knew he must leave, as he and Emily had only been dating for a short amount of time. It was hard to pull himself away, but he did tell Emily goodnight and once she was safely inside her place he headed for his car.

Emily watched him go from her window and finally headed to get dressed for bed.

~~~Criminal Minds~~~

"I think her memory is beginning to return," Aaron told Dave the next morning, as soon as his friend opened the door after he had knocked.

It was just shy of 6:00 in the morning, but Aaron had known that Dave, just like himself, was an early riser. The two of them always had been, though it depended largely on what they had been doing the night before and how late they had stayed up talking or doing whatever.

"Oh? How do you know?" Dave asked interested.

"We finally kissed and it was like kissing Berenice for the first time all over again," Aaron said closing his eyes, as he remembered the kiss, that had been perfect. Passionate, tender, loving all at the same time "I remember the sensation of those lips against mine, I remember the curve of her mouth, the softness, the way her luscious lips moved against mine. She asked me why she felt like I had kissed 1000 times. I had to kiss her again in order to distract her or I probably would've revealed all and she's nowhere near ready for that yet. It was incredibly hard to pull myself away. I've been so long without her that it was like trying to force myself to swim a wide river filled with crocodiles and man eating piranhas."

Dave didn't chuckle at this description, because Aaron was describing how hard it was to pull himself away from his lady love, one he had been without for many centuries. He wondered if he would have fared so well in a similar situation. Aaron really must have a will of iron.

"I sympathize," Dave said sincerely. "As to your unasked question yes, I believe her memory is starting to come back. You'll have to be very careful from here on out, as this could go one of several ways and you've only been dating about two weeks. Trust has only just been started to be built."

"Perhaps the next time we get together I can really introduce her to you and we can spend the day together, the three of us," Aaron suggested. "I know you've already been formally introduced, but you two need to start to get to get to know each other."

"I wouldn't mind that at all," Dave immediately agreed. "Just make sure Emily agrees before we make any plans, because you've only been dating a couple of weeks. It would be rude to just assume she'll go along without at least asking her first."

"I will," Aaron agreed soberly. "You're right, I need to ask her opinion before we start making plans. I haven't met a women yet, that wouldn't feel insulted if we didn't at least consult them."

"So many men ignore their women, as if they're feeling inconsequential and because of that idiocy their either cheated on, because their feelings and opinions are being ignored, or the female in question dumps them if they don't happen to be married to the idiot, because of that same discourtesy," Dave added.

"Or the women in question simply take it, but if things get too bad they end up murdering the insensitive bastard. Male or female it doesn't matter, but they can only take so much before the abused murders them," Aaron added.

"And the threshold is different for every person," Dave added. "Some females in particular can take a great deal before they have finally had enough and others can take far less."

Aaron nodded. "Let's not make that mistake then, because Berenice had a ferocious temper when she got mad I have no doubt that Emily does as well, since so many of her other traits have bred true."

"Of course, back then, females had far fewer rights then they do now, so I can see why Berenice held her anger most of the time or at least her disgust. Men can be boorish pigs and we both know it," Aaron said.

"The females have their bad traits too, so it's not entirely one-sided," Dave said.

"Yes, they do," Aaron agreed easily letting Dave know that Aaron had expected that opinion on females.

The two of them really did know how the other thought most of the time now, Aaron thought ruefully.

That made the two men chuckle quietly together, before Aaron headed back to his own suite of rooms to get ready for breakfast.

~~~Criminal Minds~~~

"I think this was a good idea," Emily said, as she Dave and Aaron sat together in the back of the theater.

"We thought so," Aaron smiled at her. "Dave is my best friend and has been for a long time. I don't see the reason why I can't maintain my friendship with him, even while we are dating. He's going to be a major part of our lives."

"There's nothing wrong with that," Emily agreed kissing Dave's bearded cheek. "I have my own group of friends and I don't intend on abandoning them either."

"Good, we're glad you feel that way," Dave said pleased. "Both Aaron and I have seen relationships that both people forget about their friends, because it is so involved with each other. Of course, sometimes one of the couple tries to deliberately isolate the other, from the people they know, their friends, their family."

"I know and those people should know better," Emily agreed. "The females are just as guilty of that sometimes as the males."

"We figured that you needed to start to get to know Dave," Aaron said. "Dave reminded me that we needed to ask your opinion, as we didn't want to make you feel left out."

"Females can resent being basically ignored," Dave explained what he had been thinking. "I've seen this multiple times over the years."

"Yes, they can," Emily agreed with an arched eyebrow. "You don't resent your best friend finding a female to hang around with?"

"Not really," Dave promised. "I've known for years that Aaron would like to find someone, get married, start a family, but like me, he's far too choosy in who he wants to settle down with."

"I could introduce you to some of the females I know that are unattached," Emily suggested.

"I think that you and Aaron need to get to know each other better first," Dave said. "I won't say no, as I would like to settle down to, but it would have to be someone really special. Any other female I've dated over the years would've driven me batty in no time. They were okay for a temporary relationship that didn't last very long, but they're not women that I could live with for decades."

"I've met males like that too, ones that would drive me crazy in no time," Emily admitted. "My mother Elizabeth Prentiss tried to arrange a marriage for me and I told her no to her face. She knows a lot of people and could have easily done so. No one tells my mother no without consequences, but since I'm her only daughter she was rather upset at me, but I got away with it. I told her I refuse to marry due to an arrangement, as I would only be miserable and I know it. I would end up divorcing whoever it was eventually. Probably sooner rather then later."

"I don't know why some parents even do that anymore," Aaron said. "I could understand it centuries ago when there wasn't as many people around, but nowadays, it is just ridiculous.

"Some parents just enjoy making their children miserable," Emily suggested seriously, grimacing. "Her marriage was arranged by her parents, my grandparents and so she figured she'd do the same to me. What she didn't count on was her headstrong and stubborn daughter telling her no. Once she had the required four children, she had no more after that, which doesn't surprise me."

"Why is it required for your family have four children?" Dave asked in surprise.

"Family tradition," Emily answered simply. "We have plenty of money so having that many isn't a problem, it's just the fact, that it's so archaic. It's written into our family statutes, as the Prentiss name is very old. We're originally from England. I think it's because back centuries ago, children died from just about anything, so any wife was required to provide at least four children or more if they wanted to. Of course, sometimes they didn't due to medical complications, so the wife couldn't provide that many children and if there were legit then the reasons that were acceptable were written into the statutes as well. In order to inherit my portion of the family fortune I must get married have at least four children. If I never marry or I never have that many children, then that portion is to stay and be split between my siblings. Of course, I don't have to stay married if I don't want to once I produce those children."

"That seems rather unfair," Aaron commented. "If you can get your inheritance until you have at least four children, well, what if you can't afford to have that many without the inheritance?"

"Each member gets a large stipend," Emily shrugged. "The stipend is certainly large enough to support that many children so long as you're careful on what you spend. Of course, your husband is also supposed to help out with finances, since he'll supposedly have a job some kind. One, that is supposedly well-paying. The stipend has been adjusted over the years as prices have risen, which is a good thing otherwise there wouldn't be enough to take care of one child."

"Sounds rather silly, especially in this century," Dave suggested.

"It is, but it's still legal according to our family lawyer," Emily said. "It's not that I mind having children. I'd love to have a few children. I just don't want it dictated to me how many I'm supposed to have."

"I don't blame you," Aaron said finding what he was learning fascinating.

"So what happened if the wife couldn't provide four children," Aaron asked.

"It depended on the reason," Emily said. "There are some medical causes, even today that can prevent a women from having more than one or two or even any. If a wife of a Prentiss just decided that she wasn't going to have that many then the main part of the fortune moved to a collateral line, as we have plenty of cousins, ones that have the required four children or more," Emily shrugged. "Of course, the same applies to the Prentiss females, as well, even if their names change upon marriage. The inheritance moved back to the main family line about 200 years ago, when that side of the family failed to have the required four children, for no medical cause that could be identified at the time and it hasn't had to go to another branch of the family since. This doesn't please a lot of the family, but that's just the way it is. It is only there so long as they have up to four children, they are of course, welcome to have more than that if they desire, though four is enough for most people."

"So is it only the oldest that gets the largest portion of the family inheritance?" Dave inquired.

"No, it's equally divided, among the four children, but it's so huge that it's not a problem. Unless one of the siblings is massively stupid, it's enough to live on the rest of their lives. The family has always been good at investing so it continues to grow. It has multiplied quite a bit, since the family first started and any that loses their portion of it is not given anymore."

"I certainly wouldn't if they gambled it away or lost it through bad investments," Aaron snorted. "Why throw good money after bad?"

"Both Aaron and I have quite a bit of wealth ourselves, but that's only because I knew how to invest from my own family, as my dad taught me basically everything I know and I taught Aaron," Dave said. "I also loaned him the initial capital, which he had paid back long since."

What Dave said was only partly true. Back when Dave had been born, money hadn't been such an issue as people lived mostly by bartering for what they needed. But his father had taught him what little about investing that was known back then, so it wasn't a total lie either. The Rossis had always had a small stash of gold coins that they didn't use unless they had to. Of course, today that small stash of gold wasn't necessary, but that didn't mean he didn't follow his father's example and have a lot of gold coins in a lockbox. Gold was valuable and the coins were very old and worth a fortune.

"That was really generous of you," Emily said looking Dave in surprise.

"Aaron will tell you that I'm a generous guy," Dave said in a joking tone.

"He is," Aaron confirmed smiling.

~~~Criminal Minds~~~

"I'm definitely becoming convinced that Emily is indeed your late wife," Dave said. "I wasn't really sure before, no matter how much you said that Emily looked and acted like Berenice. Her family is originally from England and if that's a coincidence then I'll eat my shirt, as that's where I originally found you. Of course, it is possible it's a coincidence, it's just not too likely."

"I knew you had doubts," Aaron said simply. "We simply know each other too well. I'm glad to know that now most of those doubts are banished."

"I don't mean to have doubts it just seemed rather fantastical that Berenice would just appear, hundreds of years after I rescued you. I would've thought it would've happened sooner, but then, it's quite possible that whoever controls such things wouldn't let her return until now," Dave said.

"I think she's started to remember now, as I saw looking at me strangely several times when she thought I didn't notice. It was like she recognized me from a dream and wasn't sure if I was the same person," Aaron said.

Dave nodded at this becoming even more convinced.

"It's entirely possible actually," Dave confirmed. "You've been going out for several weeks now and the amount of time you are spending together is bound to make her start remembering more and more. I suspect, it will be a slow trickle of memories at first, likely coming out in her dreams as I told you before. It might be a little longer before she remembers completely probably at least another month or so. Don't hold me to that though, because you're spending a lot of time together, so it's quite possible that all her memories will come back sooner."

"I'll watch for signs," Aaron promised. "I'm having a really hard time not telling her who I am and it's only going to get harder once her memory starts to return more."

"I would suggest that we tell her together, my friend. I am also part of your tale, as I rescued you from probably drinking yourself to death or possibly drowning yourself in the river. It's quite possible that while drunk you would've walked in front of a horse to be killed beneath it's hooves or thrown yourself into the river and drowned. People do the stupidest things when they're drunk and when they're grieving and the combination isn't good for anyone. If I hadn't helped you out you would likely have died much sooner. You might even have killed yourself by slashing your wrist or sticking that knife into your belly, which likely would've been a slow and agonizing death."

"First of all, horses tend to shy away from anything soft beneath their hooves like flesh and they are very unlikely to actually kill a human unless they are totally panicked," Aaron snorted in amusement. "As for the other ways to die they are possible, especially if I was drunk at the time, grieving for my family. You saved me from that fate and I'm even more grateful for that today than I was back then."

"No thanks necessary," Dave said waving a hand in dismissal. "You provided me with much happiness as we traveled the world together. I know there were tough times, because of idiots that assumed we were in a sexual relationship, but we came out of those situations if not whole at least alive."

"And often with whatever was in the idiot's pockets," Aaron laughed.

"It was my form of revenge for their idiocy," Dave shrugged. "They deserve what they got, for not just leaving us alone."

"Unfortunately, we often didn't get as much as I would've liked," Aaron said smiling, as he remembered those times.

"Well, at least they didn't realize they were robbed until we were well away most of the time," Dave smiled.

"That was mostly back before we had our fortunes," Aaron sighed. "We always had enough, so we could continue eating and I'm grateful for that. There were so many lean times for me and my family that I always give food the attention it deserves."

"I've noticed," Dave chuckled amused. "I can't blame you, actually. I know it's been many centuries since you went hungry, but you tend to remember times like that, even if they fade after awhile. You'll likely always remember those hungry times and be grateful that you have the money now to buy decent food."

"More than decent most of the time now," Aaron sighed looking melancholy. "I have had a few bad meals since I joined up with you, but that was more the way it was cooked then anything else. I remember being fascinated that there was so many different ways to cook something way before you turned me immortal. I was also fascinated by the selection of foods. Chicken, ham, pork, beef, fowl, even fish and so many different kinds of vegetables and fruits, as well as other things to choose from. Things I had heard about, but never had a chance to try. Back when I was trying to support my family we hardly ever ate meat, we couldn't afford it, as it was just to expensive. I did occasionally catch a fish from the river that was close by, but that was as close as we came to meat in those days. Fruit was also ver expensive, unless you managed to snatch a couple of apples or some other fruit from an orchard or a vendor in the market."

"I remember you were in raptures the first time you tasted ham, the good kind," Dave said soberly. "You acted like you had been given ambrosia from the gods."

"I had never had ham before," Aaron said soberly. "Occasionally, I could get an old chicken that was only going to be killed and sold just by bartering, but they were usually very tough, not juicy and tender. Nobody was going to sell me an old pig that was going to be killed anyway, for it's meat, as I just didn't have enough things to bargain with. My wife's sewing ability only went so far. Still, it did help provide some of the things we needed when we bartered with others."

"Those were hard times my friend and not only for you and your family," Dave said and Aaron nodded looking, as sober as a priest on Sunday.

"Yes, they were. I've always been grateful to you for rescuing me, even if I missed my wife and children so much at first," Aaron agreed

"You had every right to," Dave said firmly. "You loved them, so of course, you were going to mourn them. Any idiot man who didn't understand that deserved to be horsewhipped. I know it was believed that a man shouldn't mourn someone he lost or at least shouldn't show he was mourning, but that's just idiocy. Whether they want to admit it or not, men have emotions to, they just show them differently than women do."

"I know that now," Aaron said still lost in memories of the past, his eyes distant. "Now, I have Berenice back again, even if her name is Emily now and I intend on keeping her this time. No disease, no car accident, no murderer, no runaway car is going to take her from me. I don't think I can bear to lose her a second time, as it would likely drive me around the bend. If it wasn't for you, that's exactly what would've happened the first time, something I realized only after most of my intense grief had passed."

"Then we won't allow anything happen to her," Dave swore.

"She's been living on her own for years, she's not helpless," Aaron said. "Still, so many things can happen to a regular mortal."

"You need to be patient. Also if you start treating Emily like she can't take care of herself then she'll only resent you, maybe even hate you when I know you don't want that. You must remember to treat her like an equal, because whether she loves you or not I can see her breaking off your relationship. This isn't centuries ago where women had very few rights, this is the 21st-century," Dave advised.

"I know you're right," Aaron agreed. "My instincts want to protect her from anything that can harm her, but I also don't want to lose her by treating her as if she doesn't know how to take care of herself."

"Good, so long as you remember that then you'll be just fine. Emily is starting to get her memory back now, and it shouldn't be more than a few weeks at most before she has at least most of it back," Dave said.

"I hope you're right, I truly do," Aaron said soberly.

~~~Criminal Minds~~~


	7. Chapter 7

Part 7

Two weeks later

"Aaron!" Emily exclaimed, as soon as Aaron entered his love's apartment. Emily flung herself into his arms and he barely caught her he was so surprised.

"Emily, what's the problem?" Aaron asked.

"No problem," Emily answered. "I remember."

"You do?" Aaron asked excitedly.

"I've been remembering for awhile now, bits and pieces at first. I wasn't sure where my dreams were coming from, but then, they came so slowly, that I only remembered a little at a time. Finally, I started to remember my life from so long ago more quickly. I know I was Berenice."

"I've been waiting for this day for so long," Aaron said fervently, kissing her passionately.

"So were you reincarnated to? You had to be right?" Emily asked.

"No, my love. I was never reincarnated and I'll tell you why, but first I'm going to call Dave, as he'll be better at explaining then I will," Aaron said.

"What do you mean you weren't reincarnated?" Emily asked. "Reincarnation is the only explanation, right?"

"In your case that's true, but not in mine," Aaron said, as he gently held the love of his life in his arms. The smile simply wouldn't leave his face. "I know this is hard to believe, but I'm immortal."

Emily looked disbelieving but Aaron offered to prove it. He got a knife out of Emily's own kitchen and sliced his back of his hand. Emily watched in disbelief as it healed in just a few seconds.

"How?" Emily asked curiously.

"That's why I want to call Dave he'll give you an explanation," Aaron said. "We promised each other that we'd give you an explanation together when the time came."

"What does your friend have to do with this?" Emily asked.

"He's the one that turned me immortal, love," Aaron said calmly. "I would've drunk myself to death after you and our children died from the influenza and if you remember I'd met Dave just a few weeks before."

Emily searched her memories and finally nodded, as she did remember that. "I know you told me about him, but I never had chance to actually meet him."

"Well, Dave told me about being immortal and offered to turn me into what he was. He said he had been looking for companion to help with the loneliness, someone who was just like he was and wouldn't die in a few decades. He wouldn't just do it for anybody though, it had to be somebody that had at least some of the same morals and ethics. He said I was an honorable man and I had a right to grieve for my family, no matter what anyone else said."

"What kind of companion?" Emily asked immediately and also a little suspiciously.

"Not the kind you're probably thinking about," Aaron promised smiling, cuddling his love close, not taking offence, as it was only natural to ask that type of question. "We've simply been best friends for a very long time now. We've never been sexually involved, I swear. I don't swing that way and neither does Dave. I won't say we both haven't had our share of women, but those relationships never lasted very long. He helped me get over my grief, never censored me for crying on his shoulder at the death of my family and said it was only right and proper that I grieved for them. I didn't agree to be turned immortal until after most of my grief faded about a decade later. By then we had become the best of friends, and he certainly stopped me from finding a way to simply die."

"Okay then," Emily said relaxing. She should have known better, Emily scolded herself silently. There had been absolutely no sign whatsoever that Aaron and Dave were more than best friends, brothers born to different parents. "Why don't you call him and you can explain to me all about immortals."

"I'll be glad to," Aaron grinned, as he kissed her passionately, which she returned. Aaron took his cell phone out of his pocket and dialed a number. He only spoke a few words into the receiver and then exited the call.

"He'll be here in about 20 minutes," Aaron reported.

"So why don't I get you a drink while we are waiting?" Emily suggested.

"If you have any beer in stock I'll take one of those," Aaron requested. "If not, I'll take a glass of wine."

"I do have wine and I'll buy some beer for next time you visit," Emily promised. "I'm not really a beer person."

"Which is fine," Aaron said. "We are bound to have different tastes after all. Really, I'll drink just about anything alcoholic and while beer is my favorite I'll drink wine or even brandy occasionally. I like whiskey, but also mulled cider on a cold night."

"So none of our children survived the influenza?" Emily asked suddenly, as soon as she had returned from getting the wine.

"No, I'm afraid not," Aaron said looking devastated all over again. "Aart died not long after you. He was only a toddler after all. He never had a chance to develop a stronger immune system and with the poor food and also the fact that there wasn't very much of it there was little chance of that. I know we did the best we could, but children need plenty of food to grow big and strong. One thing I have found over the years, is that children need proper food to develop brain function. Poor food leads to children who are alive but not much of anything else. They don't think properly. In fact, they can't, because they're brain never develop properly because of poor nutrition. Simply, put they're the idiots of the world, ones who can't think, not don't, but can't. People like that might have some intelligence or at least cunning and slyness, but that's all."

"I know," Emily said somewhat sadly. "I miss my children."

"I do too, but my grief has faded," Aaron promised her. "I still think about them from time to time and wonder what they would've grown up to be, but I don't dwell on them too much as it only makes me sad, mad and grief stricken all over again. I've had centuries to get over my grief at the death of my family, but you haven't. It'll get better after awhile I promise you. I'll help in any way I can."

"We could have some more," Emily suggested.

"I would love some more, but we need to get married first," Aaron said practically. "I don't want your mother causing problems, because you got pregnant before you were properly wed. She would and you know it."

Emily had told him a lot about her mother, so he knew what he was talking about.

"She would," Emily said in contempt.

"We will be married if that's what you want and have many children as you want. In fact, I want to turn you immortal as soon as possible, but that decision is yours and I won't force it on you, as much as I might want to. I'm actually not sure if you can have a child, until you are immortal like I am. We'll have to ask Dave that question. My guess on that is probably not, because I never had a child with any female that I had sex with and every single one of them was mortal. Of course, most of them were only one night stands and the odds of getting some women pregnant while not low exactly, it was still not very likely, especially since so many females are on the pill."

"That's a good point," Emily admitted.

There was a knock on the door just then and Aaron opened it knowing it was Dave.

"Come on in," Aaron told Dave, as he opened the door.

"So I hear you finally remember," Dave greeted Emily smiling, kissing her cheek.

"Yes, I did," Emily said accepting the affection. "I'm still trying to absorb a lot of it, but I certainly remember Aaron."

"You should," Dave agreed calmly. "Aaron was a central figure in your life for many years before the influenza struck. Since you were married to him, it shouldn't be surprising that you remembered so quickly just from hanging around him. Your children, of course, would be next, in the amount of time you spent. You would've spent plenty of time with them, because they were yours and not someone else's. You weren't rich enough to afford a nanny or just someone to help look after them, so that meant you looked after them yourself. Basically, your family should have been the first thing you remembered, when you got your memory back of being Berenice, since you spent numerous hours with all of them."

"That makes sense when you think about it," Emily said. "As Berenice, I spent most of my time with my family, so I would remember them first before anything else, especially since I was so close to them."

"That's right," Dave said surprised at Emily's understanding. On the other hand, he knew Emily had a sharp intelligence of her own and likely so had her former incarnation. If that had been the case, as Berenice, Emily never would've dared show how intelligent she was. Females with intelligence like the men back then would have been looked down on.

"So are you going tell me about immortals?" Emily asked after she had gotten Dave a glass of wine at his request.

"Why don't you bring that bottle of wine, as it's going to be a long explanation," Dave suggested calmly.

Emily nodded going into the kitchen to get the bottle and returned only a minute later. All three of them sat down Dave in a comfortable chair, Emily and Aaron on the love seat.

As if he needed another example of how close the two were, Dave snorted in his thoughts amused, sipping his wine. Sitting together like that spoke of unity, but also love and affection. Emily was practically on Aaron's lap and Dave was sure she would be if not for his presence. He couldn't really blame them he supposed. They had just been reunited after all, after centuries of being apart.

Dave started his explanation without having to be prodded again and Emily listened closely.

"So if I'm understanding you right, you have no idea where immortals come from originally," Emily said.

"There are plenty of myths and legends about where they come from, but whether they have any basis in fact I don't know," Dave shrugged. "All I know is, that immortals, have been around for very long time. Several thousand years at least."

"So how did you turn Aaron immortal?" Emily asked.

"I fed him my blood," Dave answered honestly. "They were no needles back then, except sewing ones of course, much less IVs. It was about 10 years after his family deaths and we had been traveling together. He's the one that decided to let me turn him immortal, as I didn't force it on him. We were close by then, though not as close as we are today, but we'd only known each other for a decade by that point, instead of for centuries, so its understandable. We've been through many trials and tribulations since then, and we have remained close for all that time."

"So it's blood that will turn someone immortal," Emily said.

"That's only one way to do it, love," Aaron said speaking for the first time.

"What's the other way?" Emily asked seriously.

"I'm surprised you haven't guessed," Dave said with twinkling eyes.

Emily thought about it and then it hit her like a bolt of lightning.

"Sex is the other way. It's the only other way to get someone's DNA inside their body, other than the blood," Emily realized

"Correct," Dave said smiling. "I couldn't do it that way, because I'm not into other men, just like Aaron isn't. In your case though, I'm sure Aaron will take great pleasure in turning you immortal."

"You're right about that," Aaron grinned pouring everyone another glass of Emily's excellent wine.

"So can I have children before Aaron turns me immortal," Emily asked.

"No, you can't," Dave said shaking his head.

"That's what I told her, but I wasn't sure," Aaron said.

"Well, now you know," Dave said smiling. Dave knew there would be many explanations in the future, but right now, things were definitely looking up. Emily definitely seemed to be accepting the situation, but having her memory at least partly back, from when she had been Berenice, had a lot to do with it he was sure. Hopefully, things would continue going well for Aaron's sake.

~~~Criminal Minds~~~

Part 2

"Congratulations, on your engagement you two," Taro congratulated Aaron and Emily, raising a glass of wine in a toast to them.

"Thank you," Emily said blushing.

"Yes, thank you, Taro," Aaron grinned, feeling so incredibly happy.

"Yes, this is a great day," Dave said also raising his glass of wine. "I'm very happy for you. You'll be married and start having those children, that I know you both want. I expect to be named Godfather for every single one of them."

"You're likely get your wish," Emily laughed. "Now, all we need to do is to find you someone to marry so I can name them the godmother."

"I wouldn't mind," Dave said. "Unlike Aaron however, I've never been married, so there won't be any reincarnations of my dead wife out there waiting for me to find."

"Having children is something we're both looking forward to," Aaron grinned.

"I don't blame you there, Aaron-san. Having children is such a blessing," Aiya said.

"Yes, they are," Emily agreed wholeheartedly. "I remember having them in my past life, though I've never had any in this one. I'm actually glad I wasn't around to see my children die one by one, since I was the first to go from the influenza. I remember having a high fever and throwing up a lot, for what seemed like weeks and then nothing. I know it was very hard on Aaron, but I'm sure it would've been worse for me, since I was the one that gave birth to them."

"That would be a mother's worst nightmare," Aiya sympathized.

"At least for the ones that love their children," Dave said, taking a sip of his wine.

"So once you have children they'll go to almost a normal childhood I'm assuming," Taro said.

"Yes, except for things like catching colds," Dave answered his friend's question. "They'll be absurdly healthy from the minute they are born, they just won't be able to die from any disease. That doesn't mean they can't die from being run over by a car for example. Immortal children have no more sense than mortal ones, as that takes time to develop, so you still have to keep your eye on them. Also they will stop aging completely at thirty."

"There just won't be things like doctor's appointments, because they won't be able to get sick, which will be a great relief," Emily said. "They won't be dying from diseases that kill off thousands of children, every year, especially in poor countries."

"I certainly won't miss that part of parenting," Aaron admitted idly. "We never had the money for the doctor and medical technology, really medical knowledge in general was so primitive back then, that there very well might have been nothing the doctor could do, depending on what was wrong."

"These are different times, Aaron-san," Taro said.

"Yes, they are and I know that," Aaron said. "I'm still glad whatever children Emily and I have can't get sick, as that's one experience I don't care to repeat. Not after what happened the first time."

"I don't think anybody here can blame you for that, not after what happened to your first family," Dave said. "Even if they could get sick I doubt it would be anything more dangerous than a cold."

"Well, let's worry about getting married first. Something I'm letting my mother plan, even though she's going to turn it into a circus. It made her happy and got her off my back. She's actually happy with me for once."

"Why wouldn't she be happy with you?" Aiya asked confused.

"It's complicated," Emily sighed. "My mother is very domineering. She tried to arrange a marriage for me a few years ago and I told her no thanks. I wasn't polite about it, because that wouldn't have worked and she would have rolled over all my objections. Nobody ever tells her no and gets away with it, except for her headstrong children. I told her that if I was ever going to marry, I was going to do it for love. I would only be miserable if I'd allowed her to choose whom I married, probably to someone I'd only met a handful of times at parties or other events and it would be more than likely someone I couldn't stand. That would've been the road to disaster. Most of my mother's friends who have sons around my age are political animals and all they know are politics. There are no other thoughts in their tiny brains and I have no interest in politics whatsoever. We would have absolutely nothing to talk about and I would be driven insane in no time. Mother wouldn't be likely to choose someone that could possibly make me happy, just someone that had plenty of connections, a good job and probably a trust fund."

"Yes, I see your problem," Taro said finally. "Arranged marriages are still quite popular in Japan for some of the wealthier families, though that has been declining. At least the parents try their best to choose someone their child can fall in love with and that are compatible."

"They are some families that still do it," Aaron said.

"I told my mother again and again I don't need anyone to take care of me. I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself thank you and if I never get married and never have any children so be it. I'd rather be single for the rest of my life then be miserable with someone my mother chose for me. Unfortunately, for Elizabeth Prentiss, she birthed headstrong children, as my three brothers are the same. We all got her domineering personality, but we use it better than she does. Luckily, for me, I met Aaron, just when I was giving up hope of ever having a family," said Emily.

"I have to agree with Emily's opinion here," Aaron said. "I met her mother just once and she is indeed very domineering. We had dinner with her not long ago, so Emily could introduce me to her."

"Luckily, for me, she approved of Aaron, so that's one roadblock out-of-the-way," Emily said matter-of-factly. "She wouldn't stop us from getting married, even if we had to elope, but at least this way she'll basically leave us alone and not try to convince me I made a mistake and she would, trust me on that."

"Letting her plan the wedding makes her happy, keeps her busy and out of Emily's hair, which means she doesn't get frustrated having to deal with her," Aaron said.

"Which is a great relief to me," Emily said with profound relief in her voice.

"I've known some Japanese parents like that," Aiya said. "Ones that insist on interfering in their children's lives, even when they're 40."

"I have to in the past," Dave agreed taking a sip of his wine. "Some people are just meddlers and try to prevent what they see as mistakes. The thing about mistakes is that you learn from them and if somebody prevents you from making them then that person never learns. A parent or relative or even just a friend might have the best of intentions, but it's just better to stay out of it unless asked for advice or unless they are in genuine trouble. Parents in particular, are guilty of that. They want their children's lives to happen a certain way and try to make that happen a lot of times, instead of letting a child be themselves."

"They want their child to go to college and get a good education, which I'm sure we can all understand," Taro said. "Perhaps they want their child to become a lawyer or a doctor, but it's the last thing the child wants. The child of course, has other ideas for their future."

"They might want to become an architect, an engineer or an artist, or even want to enter the Navy or the Air Force, something a parent might disagree with."

"If I wanted to become an artist for example you would've heard my mother's screams on the other side of the city," Emily chuckled. "Luckily for her, I have absolutely no talent for any type of art and would have starved if I had gone that route just to be contrary. She wanted me to go into business like she did and it was the last thing I wanted."

"Family expectations are often heavy and hard to refuse," Taro said. "In my case, that wasn't a problem, because I came from a poor family and they wanted me to better myself. I was the oldest son, so they had high expectations for me."

"I would say you suppressed them Taro," Aaron complimented his friend.

"You can do a lot with determination," Taro shrugged.

"Yes, you can, just look around you, I would say you succeeded. Of course, it also takes the right type of intelligence along with that determination to succeed in whatever field you have chosen," Dave said.

"You are correct, Dave-san," Taro said rising his glass of wine in a salute to the point.

"I was so glad when Aaron told me that we could talk around you," Emily told Taro and his wife. "That you knew their secret."

"It is hard to keep such a secret from somebody you know well," Aiya said in understanding. "I admit I don't know them as well as my husband does, but even I had noticed how they hadn't seemed to age, as I had seen them enough times over the years to know that something strange was going on. I had only met them perhaps, half a dozen times, but still, I have a good memory and I noticed that they still seemed as young as they had when I first met them."

"A lot of people do not have, Aiya's good memory," Dave said. "Or they aren't observant or are incurious about why someone looks the same or even all of the above. Until recently, we knew Taro much better, but that has changed now and I'm glad of it. Keeping such a major secret from your spouse can be rather detrimental on a marriage, especially if they sense that something is being kept from them. We had no idea that Aiya had noticed that we hadn't changed at all from the time she first met us, because of those things I mentioned a minute ago."

"We were careless, something we usually are not, but we feel safe here, which is certainly part of the reason," Aaron added.

"And I shouldn't have listened outside the door to Dave-san's room," Aiya admitted looking rather sheepish. "I just heard something that made me curious and instead of going on my way I stood and listened."

"It's in the past," Dave promised with a smile. "We're both rather relieved you do know so there'll be no keeping it secret whenever we visit again."

"I think it's about time we moved on," Aaron suggested looking at Dave nodded. "We've been here a long time now."

"I think you can wait until after your wedding Aaron-san," Taro said firmly. "You might as well stick around for that."

"It'll be months before that event with the way Emily's mother is going," Aaron said. "It's probably going to end up being the event of the year."

"Knowing my mother that's a definite possibility," Emily said rolling her eyes in exasperation, making everyone laugh, though anyone who had met Elizabeth Prentiss would have agreed with the daughter's opinion.

~~~Criminal Minds~~~


	8. Chapter 8

Part 8

"Come on, Emily," Elizabeth Prentiss said in exasperation. "The least you can do is help me plan your wedding."

"If I had my way mother, I would've elope and be done with it," Emily said firmly. "I'm letting you plan it to get you out of my hair and I'm sorry if that's blunt, but it's the truth."

"And what have I done to earn your animosity?" Elizabeth asked.

"What haven't you done mother?" Emily asked with a cooly raised eyebrow, a look that Elizabeth recognized, as it was one she'd often used on her daughter growing up. "You tried to force me to go into your profession, which would've driven me insane in no time, I have neither the patience or the right attitude for that type of thing. I'd probably end up ruining things just by losing my temper with the idiots I would have to deal with.

"Also, you chastised me over every little mistake acting as if the world was going to come to an end, because I wasn't perfect, when I was growing up, and you didn't spend any time with me or my brothers and left us in the care of the nanny and the housekeeper. Yes, I realize you had a business to run, but other people that are busy manage to spend time with their families, because they actually love them. You spent absolutely as little time with me and my brothers and you could get away with.

"Finally, the big one, you trying to force me to marry someone I likely wouldn't have been able to stand. I hate politics, with reason to do so and I doubt that I would've had anything in common with my spouse, anymore then a pig loves a chicken. I likely would've divorced him in a very short amount or time or killed myself or perhaps my spouse, just to get out of it, though I would hate for any children to grow up with you, since you would likely treat them the same as you did your own children.

"I have no trust whatsoever that you would've chosen someone that was suitable for me that I could have respected at least, even if I didn't love him. I can just imagine us living in the same house, but never truly connecting. He would do what he had to do and I'd do my own thing. I'd be very surprised if we ever had any children at all. That's kind of arrangement only leads to cheating and discontent, if not outright unhappiness.

"You know absolutely nothing about me, but then, you haven't bothered to learn. That you couldn't even see that there was no way I would ever accept being put in an arranged marriage or used as some kind of bargaining tool, ought to tell you that you don't know your own children, particularly your daughter. I'd rather live the rest of my life alone and have no children than be miserable, as at least I would be free."

Elizabeth stared at her daughter and realized that everything Emily said was true. She hadn't taken her daughter's feelings into consideration, just going down the same well trodden path that her parents had. She had known deep down that Emily would never agree to an arranged marriage and yet, she had still tried to force it on her only daughter. Her daughter was way too independent to ever accept being tied to someone that her mother had chosen for her, especially when that same mother had ignored every single sign, that her daughter was nothing like herself. She had made sure of that, by basically, not spending anytime with any of her children when they were growing up.

She remembered how she had forced a young Emily to go to the various parties for various business associates and how she had always stood in a corner like a wallflower. It had nothing to do with shyness, but with the fact that she hated such parties. Emily had just tried to stay out of the way. She hadn't enjoyed to single one of them, except perhaps for the food, which was usually excellent. Her sons had at least tried to enjoy themselves and she was sure the oldest of them, Theo had, but as for the rest of her children they were like their father, something she had laminated a lot over the years.

She knew that children grew their own way despite family pressure a lot of times and all her children had been strong enough to do that against her wishes.

She had hired a tutor to teach her children how to behave in society and social graces, so she really hadn't paid that much attention to them. She likely never would've gotten married, much less had four kids if not for the fact that her husband Alan Prentiss wanted his portion of the family inheritance. She might have had one, but that was all.

She knew she could be domineering and in fact that was her main personality. She had tried multiple times over the years, to get her daughter in particular, to do what she wanted and Emily had more often than not argued with her, absolutely refusing to back down. The two had often butted heads until Emily had gone to college.

They were just too similar in personality Elizabeth finally realized that Emily had inherited her stubbornness and her domineering attitude, though she was more subtle than her own mother most of the time, which she got from her father.

"Aaron wouldn't mind eloping and if you turn this into a three ring circus I might just convince him to do that. Try to keep the politicians to a minimum, the ones that just want to cozy up to me, because I'm your daughter, not caring about whether I want to talk to them or not and don't care if I am interested in what they have to say. I have absolutely no interest in politics or politicians that just want to push their own agenda, something you made sure of by forcing me to go to all those parties growing up, instead of just leaving me at home. I'll try to be polite if one of them corners me, but I'm promising nothing. You'll be lucky if I don't punch one of them in the nose and I don't give a damn if I get blood on my wedding dress. Wedding days, are supposed to be happy occasions, but a lot of people don't understand that and think it's a venue to air whatever they want to, whether that's their own agenda or just to try to push their particular candidate for governor or senator or even for president, when elections come up."

Elizabeth watched how her daughter's eyes sparkled angrily, as she was ranting and she couldn't really blame Emily for all she said. Her daughter was usually polite around her, even if it was clear she'd rather be elsewhere, but apparently, she'd had enough of her interference. Emily was also right that weddings were supposed to be happy occasions, especially if they were love matches and it was as plain as daylight that Emily loved Aaron and that he loved her.

"You can't seem to stay out of my life and when I have children you will be lucky if I allow you anywhere near them," Emily finished ranting at her mother. "I'm tired mother, I'm tired of you interfering in every decision I make, trying to correct what you see as an error. One thing you forgot is that humans have to make errors in order to learn from their mistakes. This is something that Dave, Aaron's friend, reminded me of just recently. Whether you think I made a mistake or not it's not your business unless I ask for your help. You'll be lucky if Aaron and I don't move somewhere far away, Hawaii or somewhere else exotic. I wouldn't be surprised if Theo, Ed, Ray, haven't told you to butt out as well."

Emily was well on her way to being immortal, because it wasn't like she and Aaron had waited to have sex until after the actual wedding. It wasn't like she or Aaron had been virgins before they had met so why bother to wait to fulfill their mutual desire.

It wouldn't be long now before she actually was immortal according to Dave, because apparently having sex might be slower, but it was certainly more pleasant than drinking blood. As much as they made love the process was taking place faster.

"I was only trying to help," Elizabeth said in a much quieter voice.

"You don't help unless I ask," Emily said firmly. "You wanted me to turn now in a specific way more like you, than my father. Father stayed away from home as much as possible just to avoid you I'm sure, and left his children in your clutches, though luckily, you didn't spend much time with us. I would hate to think how any of us would've turned out if only you had given us a smidgen of your time, instead of leaving the servants to care for us. The nanny was more of a mother to me and my brothers then you were, the woman who gave birth to me.

"You wanted me to be passive with no will of my own, you wanted me just to accept you running my life. You've never cared about my happiness or my brothers happiness. You wanted me to be as miserable as you are. I know very well you weren't happy in your marriage to dad, but then, it was arranged, so what did you really expect? Contentment, happiness, joyfulness?

"Did it ever occur to you that's one reason I refused to go into an arranged marriage? I saw how you and dad interacted enough times to know that I never wanted that for myself, you were both miserable until dad died about 10 years ago. You didn't exactly set a good example for any of your children. I don't know why you just didn't divorce, at least you both would've been happier."

Elizabeth could not truthfully deny her daughter's accusations. She hadn't paid attention to how unhappy her daughter or sons were, how miserable. She had just issued orders and expected them to be obeyed without question. Emily had gone along with that only because she knew she had to, but once she had gone to college she had never again obeyed an order unless she had wanted to. She hadn't cared how miserable her children were not at the time. She had never considered their feelings, just like her own father had never considered hers or her sister's.

"Divorce wasn't done back in my day," Elizabeth said quietly, seeming introspective.

"Well, it is in mine, and boy, am I glad of it. If I had actually agreed to that arranged marriage I would have divorced the man you arranged as my husband within five years I'm sure. While I doubt very much I would have even liked who you set me up with I love Aaron so much. He is gentle and kind. We share a lot of the same interests and I'm looking forward to starting a family after our wedding."

"I'm glad you met him," Elizabeth admitted. "He's a good match for you I have to admit. Not only does he love you, he has plenty of money of his own so he can't be called a gold digger. I had begun to doubt that you would never marry."

"So had I, but as I told you earlier I'd rather never get married then be miserable," Emily said with a stubborn glint in her eyes.

"I'll try to keep the politicians to a minimum," Elizabeth promised finally. "The only problem is that while I'm just a businesswoman I'm a wealthy one, and a lot of politicians will be insulted if they aren't invited to my daughter's wedding, since I've contributed to their campaign funds a lot over the years. It doesn't help that your father was involved in political circles until his death. You're right, they won't necessarily care that it's your wedding, a supposedly happy occasion, and no time to bring up business."

"Well then, warn the politicians that if they try to corner me that I won't put up with it, as it's supposed be a happy occasion after all. They and you can talk politics all you like, just so long as you leave me and Aaron out of it. Aaron has no more use for politics then I do, which is one of the reasons I love him so much. If he had a political bone in his body I probably never wouldn't've agreed to marry him, that's how much I hate politics. He'll never be a senator or a governor and has absolutely no ambition in that direction, thank you god."

Emily didn't tell her mother the real reason that was of course, as Elizabeth Prentiss was too grounded in reality to believe in immortality, even if given a demonstration.

The only reason she had believed it was that she was reincarnated from Aaron long dead wife Berenice and she had started to get her memories back once she had met Aaron again. At least in this century she could be herself and not be so disregarded, though some men still disregarded a female opinion, no matter how intelligent. Still, things were much better in this time, then they had been when she had been Berenice.

"I will," Elizabeth promised.

"Good, you do that. Warn them they're going to be punched in the mouth or the nose if they don't leave me alone. Tell them, I have a violent temper for people who annoy me and politicians definitely fall into that category," Emily said firmly. "This is one reason I never come home anymore. I can't argue with you if I'm not here for you to set me off."

"I know that now," Elizabeth said, feeling extremely subsided. "I've made a lot of errors when it comes to my children. I know I didn't give you the attention or the love you deserved and left you in the care of the servants and the nanny. I wouldn't be surprised if your brothers resent me just as much as you apparently do."

"If you tried to arrange marriages for them like you did me I wouldn't be surprised if they told you no," Emily said bluntly. "This isn't centuries ago where such things were common and I don't know why families do it anymore. Its not like we're poor mother. We should have a right to choose our spouse without one of our parents doing it for us, especially since this isn't the past where a daughter had to obey her father or be thrown out. Women have rights now and I had every right to refuse an arranged marriage, unlike hundreds of years ago.

"I'm surprised more women didn't kill themselves back in the past with the way they were treated as if they were stupid and only good for keeping house or producing children. I suppose they were used to their lot, trained from birth to do nothing useful with their lives, except produce children and doing the cooking, cleaning, basically, being a servant to a husband, who likely cared nothing for them and probably cheated on them within two or three years.

"Of course, in high class families they weren't expected to cook and clean, but the poor sure were. I couldn't live like that, as I'd go insane. Being thought of as only good enough to provide a husband children and to direct the servants, wasn't much of a life for the woman back then. Thank God, I was born in modern times, as women had so few rights and choices centuries ago. Hell, we couldn't even vote until 1920."

Elizabeth listened to her daughter's speech in astonishment, as she have no idea that Emily had even thought about such things. On the other hand, she didn't really know her daughter at all, which was her own fault, as she hadn't really tried too and she knew it. If there was one thing she'd forgotten about children was that each one was an individual and not an exact copy of the mother or the father, so it was no wonder that Emily clearly resented her for her actions towards her over the years, as this was the 21st century after all, not hundreds of years ago. In trying to do what she thought was right, she hadn't considered what her daughter had wanted, hadn't bothered to ask for her opinion and basically, done what her father had done to her, tried to arrange her life so that it suited her and not her daughter.

"I suppose it's a way to ensure the family name lives on," Elizabeth sighed. "That's probably the main reason actually."

"Since we have numerous cousins that's not really necessary anymore," Emily pointed out. "Arranged marriages are archaic and need to be abolished entirely. Any children Aaron and I have will be allowed to choose their own spouses or never get married at all if they don't care to," Emily added in an implacable tone, which was a tone Elizabeth was very familiar with, since it was one she had used a lot over the years. As far as Emily was concerned her opinion on this particular subject was set in stone. "I will never do what your father did to you or your grandfather did to his children. It's a good thing that both are dead and were before I was born or I'd give them my opinion of their parenting skills and they wouldn't like what I had to say."

"I wish I had done the same back then, but women had far fewer options when I was born then they do today. Also, I had been trained from birth to obey my father. It was only after I married that I felt like I could be myself. I knew that father probably have beaten me black and blue if I had dared disobeyed him," Elizabeth said pensively.

"I'm certainly glad now I never met him," Emily said fervently. "We would've been at loggerheads constantly whenever I saw him. He probably beat his wife if she didn't obey him like some kind of robot. It's clear to me he had no respect for females as anything other than objects."

Emily actually felt some sympathy for her mother now, as some of her attitude when she had been growing up was now explained. Parents had a great impact on their children, and some came out more timid from that kind attitude while some came out tougher. Apparently, the same thing had happened to her grandfather's mother, but only after her father had died. Emily hoped the bastard burned in hell, and was absurdly glad that Aaron or Dave for that matter were nothing like that.

~~~Criminal Minds~~~


	9. Chapter 9

Part 9

"I actually feel sorry for her now," Emily told Aaron and Dave. "I certainly understand some of the attitude when I was growing up better."

Emily had told her fiancé Aaron and his friend Dave, everything about the argument with her mother.

"It sounds like your grandparents or at least your grandfather was very domineering like your mother. He might not have actually been abusive unless his orders were disobeyed. It might be that his word was law and so long as he was obeyed he didn't hit his wife or his daughters at least, possibly his sons as well. in fact that's more likely, more likely then just be forcing his daughters to obey him. It's clear from what you learned and that he likely had no respect for females at all, though I have no idea if he learned that from his own father or mother or if that's just the way he was, despite plenty of positive examples growing up. He could've got that opinion from someone else or some event he happened to see and not from either parent. There are too many possibilities to even think about, much less discuss," Dave said

"I don't see that it matters anyway," Aaron commented. He had his arm around Emily holding her close. He reveled having his lady love back in his arms.

"It doesn't really," Emily agreed. "She just shocked me that's all. She usually just rolls over whatever I'm saying, but I actually made her think. She was very quiet and subsided when I left, though how long that will last I have no clue. I doubt it's permanent, so the more I avoid her the better. I wouldn't mind avoiding New York entirely until she passed away. I don't know why we can't live somewhere exotic like Hawaii, even Mexico."

"We'll have to talk about that sometime soon," Aaron said. "There're many exotic places or even just big cities where we'll never be found, if we don't want to be. Let's get this wedding out of the way first."

"The wedding will be soon," Emily said. "Most things have been arranged and I have my wedding dress, though it certainly doesn't have the long train that mother wanted. She wanted a train that was over 10 feet long and I told her no way. It would require a whole herd of attendants to carry it, just so it didn't get filthy by me walking down the aisle. Such things may have been appropriate years ago, but we live in a modern world now."

"At least she's asking for your opinion," Dave suggested with a chuckle.

"That's true," Emily said thoughtfully. "At least I have some say in my own wedding. She was rather disappointed that I didn't agree to the train idea, but was happy when I agreed with a lot of her suggestions. I have to admit that my mother has good taste, which is why I wanted her help to plan in the first place. It saves me time and and frustration and effort, which I am eternally grateful for. I would drive myself batty trying to plan anything complicated, I just don't have the patience for all the little details that go into weddings. I could've planned something fairly straightforward and simple, but I knew mother wouldn't be satisfied with that."

"So it was easier to get your mother to plan it then to do it yourself," Aaron said.

"Exactly," Emily grinned. "I did warn her though, that if a politician corners me and starts talking about politics then he'll either leave me alone when I tell him I'm not interested or get punched in the nose. Whether they believe my mother when she tells them that is up to them."

Dave and Aaron both snorted at Emily's little speech, though they couldn't exactly blame her either.

"I don't think either Aaron or I can blame you," Dave said. "Both of us hate politics, because it's often so dishonest."

"One of the reasons I fell in love with Aaron, before I got my memory back," Emily smiled kissing Aaron's cheek. "I knew of his hatred of politics. I might actually have told him no, when he proposed if I had thought he was going to ever get into politics. That's how much I hate them."

"Good thing for me," Aaron said smiling. "I would never have been interested in politics, even if I had remained mortal. For one thing I was too poor for any politician to pay attention to my opinion. Back then, poor people were practically part of the land in the time in which I was born. In other words, they were mostly ignored unless they got in the way of course."

"So how's your relationship with Penelope going?" Emily asked Dave.

Emily had introduced Dave to her friend Penelope Garcia about two months back. The wedding preparations had just been started then and Dave had agreed to go out on a date with one of Emily's friends to see if they were compatible.

None of Emily's friends would be silly or shallow, as that was something the lady herself had promised him. I don't have patience for shallow or silly girls and especially women, Emily had explained to both Aaron and Dave. At least girls might outgrow their silly habits and shallowness, but a grown woman of more than 25 probably never will. I would probably slap someone who was silly, just to get her to stop it. Either that or walk away, before I did so.

Dave had taken Emily at her word and so he was really enjoying his relationship with Penelope Garcia. Emily was right, Penelope was funny and sweet and intelligent and also a very good conversationalist and one of the most bubbly people he had ever met. She was always cheerful. She seemed like the type that believed in six impossible things before breakfast. There was a large difference between silly and funny. Silly meant you acted like you didn't have any brains in your head and all you cared about was men, fashion and what other women were wearing, among other similar subjects. Funny meant you had a good sense of humor, didn't usually let life get you down, told good jokes and funny stories or said things in a way that were very amusing. She was very good with all types of technology, but especially computers, as she understood how they operated instinctively or at least could figure out how something worked even without reading the directions. Some people just had that knack.

They were getting along well and Dave was beginning to believe that she'd be perfect as a wife and mate for him. Someone who would love him just as much is he loved her. Someone who would happily bear his children. He wasn't going to rush into anything though, as he didn't want to make a mistake and so was going to take his time, as unlike Aaron, Penelope was not the reincarnation of his long dead wife.

"We're getting along very well," Dave answered. "I'm taking it slow though, because I've never been married, so I'm not rushing into anything for that reason. You and Aaron were very lucky that the fates decided you needed each other, so gave you a break."

"I'll be grateful forever if that's who decided to give my true love back to me," Aaron said, kissing Emily on the temple.

"I have to agree, as normally, I don't believe in anything like fate," Emily said.

"Neither do Aaron or I," Dave said. "I think I might be falling in love with your friend, but I'm not going to rush things as I told you. We have plenty of time to truly get to know each other before we take things farther."

"I'm glad things are going so well," Emily said pleased. "I thought the two of you would at least be friends, even if that was all it was going to be. Penelope is the type to believe in six impossible things before breakfast, and the notion of immortality is definitely something impossible for most people to believe."

"That's quote is from Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll," Aaron said grinning.

"I'm surprised you know that," Emily said looking at her fiancé. "It is a children's book after all, even if it is a classic."

"You have to remember, love, that Dave taught me how to read, so I was fascinated with books for a long time. I liked reading and to see how books changed over the centuries. At first, I didn't think much of them, as they didn't invent fiction for a lot of years. Still, I enjoy reading now, but I just don't do it as much as I did a few hundred years ago. My understanding of English has certainly improved a lot over the years, because I read so much. My point is that one of those books I read was Alice in Wonderland and of course, I had to read the sequel as well when it was published. I didn't find the book, as fascinating as I'm sure children did, but since I knew immortality was real who was to say that what Carroll was writing about couldn't exist as well?"

That was a good point Emily admitted. If immortality could exist who could say that Lewis Carroll fascinating world couldn't as well.

"Aaron does have a point, even if I don't believe the things that exist in Alice in Wonderland and the sequel are actually real," Dave said.

"Well, neither do I really," Aaron shrugged. "You have to admit that immortality is a fantastic concept, so if it can exist why not the things that happen in Carroll's book."

That was a point, Dave admitted silently.

~~~Criminal Minds~~~

"Ready to go?" Dave asked his date, one Penelope Garcia.

"Just let me grab my purse," Penelope said.

"You look utterly delectable, Miss Penny," Dave told her sincerely.

What Dave had said was true. Penelope had done her long blonde hair up in some sort of fancy arrangement, to where only a couple of tendrils escaped, to hang in front of her ears, Her dress was a lovely warm gray that went well with her skin tone and was long enough to go just past the knees. There was also a gold belt slung low over her hips, which made a nice contrast to the gray dress, breaking up the grey so she didn't look like a storm cloud. The dress would sparkle with appropriate lighting and she looked absolutely gorgeous in Dave's humble opinion. Last, but not least, she was wearing a pair of black pumps, gold, diamond drop earrings that Dave had given her, along with a dressy gold wrist unit, another gift.

"Why thank you Mr. Rossi," Penelope returned, smiling, kissing his bearded cheek.

Penelope grabbed her purse and then Dave escorted her out the door allowing her to lock it behind her.

"I'm really looking forward to this wedding," Penelope told Dave as he escorted her to his car. "Emily is such a good friend of mine, that it makes me happy she has finally found someone to love."

"I can say the same about Aaron," Dave agreed. Dave didn't mention the past lives aspect or the immortality as now was not the time, thought that time would be coming soon, just not quite yet. "I've never seen Aaron get so close to a woman so fast as he is usually so reserved. He's usually very careful about what kind of woman he allows to get close to him not that there has been many."

Dave didn't say what he was thinking and that was, there had not been many had measured up to Berenice in Aaron's eyes. Of course, that was before he had met Emily. Emily was now immortal just like he and Aaron, so there would be no other for his friend or for Emily either.

"I can understand that as so many women are shrews, or they whine and complain about their lot or that the husband doesn't spend enough time with them or they're cheating. Insecurity isn't usually Emily's thing, but you never know how someone will react when they have a man they love," Penelope said.

"If Aaron believed Emily would turn into what you suggestion he never would've asked her to marry him," Dave told Penelope. "Emily's not the type, as you said, to be insecure about a man. She would've make sure that Aaron genuinely loved her before agreeing to marriage. Like Aaron she's just too careful with her heart."

"You're right," Penelope agreed. "My point still stands though."

"Yes, it does, but neither Aaron or Emily are like that. I've known Aaron a long time, decades, so as you know we are extremely close. I was very happy that he had finally found someone to love, as being a bachelor isn't all it's cracked up to be, even with a best friend you can depend on."

Penelope nodded at this, because she agreed completely she had never seen Emily so happy. Of course, she was pretty happy herself after Emily had introduced her to Aaron's best friend Dave. She was actually hoping for a marriage proposal, but she could be patient and wouldn't start dropping hints like some women did. When the proposal came she wanted to be from Dave's heart not because she had hinted at it and forced his hand.

"Well, let's go, as we have duties we have to perform, since your the best man and I am the maid of honor," Penelope told Dave who nodded, helping his date into the passenger seat.

"I won't be surprised if they start having children right away," Dave commented as he drove out of the parking lot of Penelope's apartment building.

"Why?" Penelope asked. "I would think they want to wait at least a year or so."

"Because I know both want children and Emily isn't getting any younger," Dave said. "I could be wrong, but I know Aaron very well remember."

"That's very true," Penelope said. "Depending on how many they want of course..."

"Exactly, so I wouldn't be surprised if Emily comes back from the honeymoon pregnant," Dave said.

"Well, it's not like I'm going to complain if they have a few right away," Penelope grinned. "I love babies."

"So do I," Dave agreed, smiling.

There was another point her and Dave had in common, they both loved babies, Penelope thought happily, though she didn't actually say anything.

~~~Criminal Minds~~~


	10. Chapter 10

Part 10

"Finally, we are wed now," Emily said happily, as she danced in her new husband's arms. The wedding ceremony had been short and sweet. Her mother had listened to her for a change. The decorations were very nice, but not overdone and there was enough food ordered for the reception to feed a small army, but considering there were over 400 guests Emily wasn't surprised.

Dave's family was here or at least his parents and grandparents, as they were very fond of Aaron and considered him a son. It was actually very nice to see how close Aaron was to Dave's family. She had a feeling that she would like them very much and wouldn't mind visiting every few years. Dave's family was genuinely warm and welcoming, and so different from her own mother that it practically left her head spinning.

"I know it seems like it's been a long wait, but it's really been just six months since we met, love," Aaron said softly. "I think you getting your memory back, being turned immortal and us being married in that amount of time is pretty good. I was rather anxious to and it did seem like a lot longer than it really was, but that's only because you're reincarnated from my lady love and as for me, well, I've been immortal for a long time now, but it's really only in the last few months that time has seemed to pass awfully slowly. Usually time flies, as if it has wings."

"I suppose that would be true to a man who has lived for centuries, so long as you keep yourself busy," Emily mused quietly, as she and Aaron danced.

The two were talking very softly because there were a lot of other people on the dance floor and they didn't want to be overheard.

"Which isn't that difficult, even today, is there so many things to see and do," Aaron said. "I still love to read for instance as you know. I suspect that my reading will take a backseat to other activities in the near future."

"I'm looking forward to it," Emily giggled kissing him, as the two of them finished their dance.

"So what about some refreshments, my love?" Aaron asked Emily.

"Sounds like a really good idea to me," Emily said her stomach growled. "I guess I didn't eat much breakfast."  
"Nervous?"

"No, excited about finally marrying you," Emily promised. "Mom could've been making preparations for the next year, but she did it relatively quickly and I'm grateful. I'm sure that was very frustrating for her to arrange everything for as soon as possible and not wait until next summer or spring to get married."

"Your mother knew that you would elope with me before you allowed her to drag it out, to next year," Aaron suggested. "She knew you wouldn't wait until next spring or summer to tie the knot with me, as she knows very well your feelings towards her, especially after your argument."

"It's a good thing or I would've asked you to elope with only Dave and possibly Penny along, which would've disappointed a lot of people Dave's parents and grandparents for instance, since they're very fond of you."

"Or Taro and his wife," Aaron agreed. "All three parties mentioned would've understood though, once it was explained. Luckily, for your peace of mind, your mother, is very perceptive and intelligent, so likely made the preparations as quickly possible."

"She just didn't want the shame and embarrassment of one of her children eloping," Emily snorted cynically. "She's never listened to me before, so I don't see her starting now. Really, the shame of me eloping is the only reason I can think of for her to arrange everything as fast as possible."

"Or she could have realized that you're a grown up and doesn't need to interfere in your life unless you ask," Aaron suggested. "I mean you're 33, something you will remain the rest of your life now that you are..."

"I know. As for her realizing I've grown up I seriously doubt that. I'm not saying it's not possible, just that it isn't too likely," Emily said doubtfully.

Aaron didn't blame his love for her doubts about her mother's intentions, considering her childhood, which had been lonely at least, but only when the two strong willed women weren't butting heads.

He doubted Emily's childhood had been pleasant or fun. It was probably one command after another from Elizabeth Prentiss, so it had likely been a relief for Emily he was sure, when it was time for her to go to college at 18. Emily had been raised along with her brothers by a nanny and the servants so that could've been lonely indeed.

The two of them loaded their plates with all the goodies that were on the food tables and went to sit at one of the tables to eat in peace.

Suddenly a man sat down beside them without even asking and started asking her opinion on certain candidates for the next election.

"Sir, I don't care who you are. Either my mother didn't warn you that I hate politics and there would be no mention of them to me on this day or you didn't read your invitation that said at the bottom that there would be absolutely no discussion of politics then that's on you. I have never had opinions, as I hate politics with a passion. You will leave or I'll knock you out and have the best man transport you somewhere. So long as you're out of my sight I don't care where you end up."

The man started and protested and Emily glared at him, making him fall silent.

"This is my wedding day, sir. Don't you think is impolite to upset the bride on such a special occasion? I stay out of the political scene. If Aaron, here, had even a smidgen of interest in politics I probably would've turned down his proposal flat, that's how much I hate them," Emily told the man with impatience in her voice.

The man stared at Emily and she refused to look away, until he dropped his eyes.

"I might add that you didn't even bother to introduce yourself, which is rude," Aaron added. "Do you really expect Emily to know who you are? You just sat down and started asking her opinion on certain candidates until she put a stop to it."

"We won't have to worry about if he's rude again," Emily said sweetly, though the smile she shot the interloper was more along the lines of a tiger eyeing it's next meal. "It's already been decided that Aaron and I are going to move away from New York, just as soon as our honeymoon is over. I will never again have to put up with political talk, thank you god. I got enough of that growing up that I lost any taste that I might've had for it. When both parents basically ignore your existence, because they were too busy to pay you any attention that ought to tell you one reason I hate politics. Politics might not have been the only cause, but it's certainly a major factor."

"I thought surely the daughter of Alan Prentiss..." the guy began.

"See that's dangerous," Aaron pointed out. "Making assumptions. Children don't always turn out like their parents, especially when those children are basically ignored until there's an order to be given or they need to be criticized or berated for some minor error. I would think it would be more than understandable why Emily turned out totally different from her mother and father."

"Children need love, affection and understanding, not to be ignored. If you're married if that's the way you treated your children I hope you didn't expect them to turn out like you. Politics are all well and good, but not when it takes the place of things that should be more important ...Your family, especially your children. It's like replacing an emerald with a gem made of sawdust thinking you're getting a better bargain.

"People go after that piece of sawdust instead of seeing the real gem that's in plain sight, the one thing that should be the most important thing in the world...your family," Aaron said. "I suggest you go away before Emily makes good on her threat. She doesn't make threats and not follow through."

"I wanted to elope, but mother promised me that I would not be bothered by idiots who wanted to push their own candidate or just talk about politics. Letting her plan my wedding made her happy and got her out of my hair, but believe me, I would've had no problem eloping and in fact it would have been much easier and less troublesome."

"I'll take it from here," came the voice of David Rossi was the best man.

"I'm glad you're here Dave. I suggest you take this guy somewhere back to his wife or at least where he's out of Emily's sight before she really does punch this guy in the mouth," Aaron suggested with an amused quirk of his lips, which Dave returned.

"Well, David Rossi, to the rescue," Emily said amused, her good humor restored.

"I'm sure he was keeping an eye on the situation the whole time and swooped in when it really looked like you were about to hit that guy," Aaron suggested.

"Probably," Emily said. "Dave certainly saved that idiot from being punched in the mouth or the nose, something I don't think he really understood."

"He would've deserved it," Aaron said firmly. "The warning on those invitations is not just a mere suggestion. It's written at the bottom in capital letters so it ought to be obvious to any idiot, that it's just not a mere suggestion."

"I'm sure his wife will take him in hand," Emily smirked. "I'm positive she'll take him by the ear and make him realize what a social faux pass he made. Today is not a day to push any political agendas. I don't really care if he talks about politics with other people just not with me. People who are interested in politics are welcome to talk about it, even on such a festive occasion, to their hearts content, but as for me, if I never hear about politics again..."

"It'll be too soon," Aaron finished.

"Exactly," Emily grinned at him kissing him on the cheek. "I'm so happy that we met again."

"So am I," Aaron promised with a nearly blinding smile.

~~~Criminal Minds~~~

"Would she really have punched me?" the man asked, as Dave escorted him away from Emily and Aaron.

"You mean Emily?" Dave asked.

"Yes, who else could I mean?" the man asked a little bit impatiently.

"Yeah, she would have. She hates politics, with reason to do so," Dave explained. "From what I saw you didn't even bother to introduce yourself, which would have been the polite thing to do. I'm sure you thought that Emily would know who you were, but it's rude not to introduce yourself whether or not you know who she is, you can't just assume that someone knows who you are as well. Making assumptions is a way to make mistakes. From the way I understand it she doesn't even listen to politics if she can help it, that's how much she hates them. I'm sure you thought of her marriage had been arranged, just because that's the way it's done more often than not in political circles."

The man had to admit that was true he had made a lot of assumptions, ones that mostly turned out to be incorrect apparently.

"She made a comparison to replacing an actual gem with sawdust," The man said thoughtfully.

"That sounds like Emily actually," Dave said.

"How long have you known her?"

"About as long as Aaron has actually," Dave shrugged. "Aaron and I have been best friends for a long time and I met her at the same time he did, at a concert in the park. Aaron and Emily immediately got along like a house on fire, and started dating within a few days. The rest, as they say is history."

"She is nothing like her father," the man said.

"She probably has some of his traits and the fact that she doesn't love politics, doesn't mean anything. I'm sure Emily told you how both parents basically ignored her and her brothers, so somebody with Emily brains and determination would be determined to turn out differently, instead of being sucked into the world of politics, which would've made her unhappy at least. Parents who don't pay attention to their children a lot of times, are surprised when they turn out totally differently from what that parent expects. It's not like the people that they share DNA with had any influence or at least not much, so it really shouldn't be so surprising."

"I suppose so," the man admitted.

"I mean think about it. Neither parent was likely there when any of their children were sick, I mean really sick, not just a cold, they likely never praised them for good grades, or for any other accomplishment no matter how major, so can you really blame Emily for hating politics? The way she likely sees it is that politics is a large reason why her parents never had time for her. From the way I understand it her parents basically left her and her brothers in the hands of the servants. They never tried to forge any kind of relationship with Emily and probably not with her brothers either. It is up to the parents as to how close to their children they want to be, and so many choose to be selfish. They choose work or some other commitment instead of spending time with whatever children they have. I can understand working all the time if you're trying to provide for your family, but not when you are well off, like the Prentisses."

"Yes, I see what you mean," the man said thoughtfully never having thought about it in that way. "I do have a slightly better relationship with my own children, but not much better then Emily has with her mother and likely her father before he died."

"I don't even know your name but you know mine, though I do admit that we were never formally introduced," Dave added.

"I guess I never did introduce myself," the guy said embarrassed. "I'm Daniel Carruthers and I know you're David Rossi."

That's right," Dave agreed.

"I've never heard of you before, which means you're probably not part a political circles either," The now named Carruthers said.

"No, I'm not, as I don't care for politics and in that way Aaron, Emily and I are well matched. I think it's dirty and dishonest and hurts a lot of people when politicians decide to cut some program, just to supposedly save money not thinking about the people that use it, who need to use it or they talk about raising prices for medicine and people who don't have insurance have no way to go to the doctor or buy medication, because they can't afford to. I know very well a lot of that money goes back into the politicians own pockets."

That was true, Carruthers admitted to himself. A lot of politicians did not care about the people they were hurting when they made decisions, likely never even thought about them.

Dave delivered Carruther's to his wife and told her a short version of what happened.

The last thing Dave heard was the wife scolding her husband and asking him did he really believe that the warning down at the bottom of the invitation was just a suggestion? Did you really think they would've printed invitations with the warning if they weren't serious about no politics being discussed?

Dave snorted in amusement and went on his way to find Penelope, whom he had of course, brought as his date.

~~~Criminal Minds~~~


	11. Chapter 11

Part 11

"So is there any chance of you finally settling down, son?" inquired Rebecca Rossi, Dave's mother. "Penny, is a lovely lady..."

"Yes, she is and I believe that I am falling in love with her," Dave told his mother and father. "However, I'm taking it slow. I don't want to rush into anything and be wrong. Still, I really like her. She's intelligent, funny and kind and not at all silly and shallow. I couldn't stand someone silly or shallow for very long. By silly, I mean someone who is only interested in fashion, what others are wearing, and also men, whoever they're friends are dating or married to and who act like they don't have any brains at all. They talk about how much that man is worth than if they think it's a good match and so forth. Someone like that would drive me insane in no time, as all they care about is status and other subjects that really don't matter in the end. Such subjects are all well and good, but I don't want to be married to someone like that. If I was stupid enough to turn someone like that immortal I'd only have myself to blame. Penny is not only one of the most intelligent, kindest, funniest people I know she's also sensible. She always looks good, but it's not her only area of interest. She doesn't obsess over what to wear all the time unless it's a really special event."

"That's only sensible," Dave's father Jacob agreed. "Hopefully, it will work out."

"I hope so," Dave said sincerely.

"I just want some more grandchildren," Rebecca told Dave, causing both husband and son to laugh at her.

"It's not like you don't have plenty of those," Dave told his mother affectionately.

"So I can always use more," Rebecca shrugged in response to her husband's and son's laughter.

"Well, soon Aaron and Emily will have children and then you'll have those grandchildren you crave," Dave suggested. "You think of Aaron like a son anyway."

"Yes, I do," Rebecca admitted. "If Emily is already immortal..."

"She is," Dave promised. "The two of them didn't resist having sex, especially after being parted for so long, when they both knew they couldn't have children until Emily was just like Aaron," Dave said. "It wasn't like either one of them were virgins, so why wait?"

Rebecca and Jacob already knew how Emily was the reincarnation of Berenice, Aaron's wife who had died from the influenza, a long time before there was any cure.

"I'm not going to rush my relationship, just to give you grandchildren, mom. I like her a lot, but we need to love each other for what will technically be multiple lifetimes. I refuse to be rushed into possibly making a mistake. I'm not saying that's what's happening here, I just want to make sure, before I take it to the next step and tell her about immortality."

"He's right, dear," Jacob told his wife. "We don't want either of them to be miserable because he chose wrongly. If he wasn't immortal than it wouldn't matter so much, as they could just divorce."

"I suppose so," Rebecca sighed dramatically.

"You don't fool me, mom," Dave grinned at her. "You might want to marry me off, but you also want me to be happy with my choice and for the lady in question to also be happy.

Now, let's quit talking about it before Penelope returns. I'm sure neither of you want her to get the wrong idea."

Jacob and Rebecca couldn't help but agree with their son, as they didn't want Dave's girlfriend to get the wrong idea.

"So long as I know it's a definite possibility that you will ask Penny to marry you that's enough for now," Rebecca said.

"Good, because I won't be pressured, you know that, mom," Dave told his mother firmly. "We're not just talking decades here, but centuries."

Rebecca had to admit her son was correct. She might want grandchildren out of her oldest son, but she also didn't want him to be miserable or the lady in question either, so she would be patient. She had a good feeling about Dave's and Penelope's relationship however.

"So son are you going to introduce us to your friend Taro and his wife?" Jacob asked.

"Of course, dad, I'm sure they'll be very pleased to meet you," Dave said warmly. "Aaron and I are quite close to them, particularly Taro. I can see from here that they're out on the dance floor, so you'll just have to wait until they finish dancing and then I'll bring them over here to meet you. We told them both about immortality recently as Taro at least has been curious for a long time. We've supported several of his projects, including one he's just started in Chicago. The one in Chicago will help a lot of the poor folks get jobs with decent pay. He's building a shopping complex with a hotel alongside. It will supply thousands of jobs."

Both parents looked at the handsome couple an older man and his wife. The man was all steel gray hair, with age lines around his mouth and eyes, tall and slim, but really he didn't look his age, which was over 60. The wife was also lovely, though much shorter then her husband, but at least her hair still had black in it, and she had less crow's feet around her eyes and mouth and looked much younger then her actual age.

"He sounds like a good man," Jacob said.

"He is," Dave agreed. "Neither Aaron or I would've told him about immortality if he wasn't an honorable man. He comes from a poor family himself and he's also the oldest son. His family expected him to make something of himself, so he got scholarships and went to college. He tries his best to help the poor, and that's mainly what this project is about. The mob of course doesn't like that, because it helps people that are even now addicted to drugs because they don't have any hope of a better life. The shopping complex and hotel will help a lot of those poor families and it's also in the poor area. Of course, that's only if he doesn't get himself killed first."

"You told us that he had already been nearly killed by a bunch of goons with submachine guns," Rebecca said.

"And so he was," Dave agreed. "Aaron and I will try our best to save his life, but he refuses to accept bodyguards and I can't really blame him for that, because they would probably just get in his way of what he feels like he has to do. He's the only businessman I have ever met that actually remembers his past and doesn't pretend it doesn't exist. He uses what he knows to help others, which is one of the reasons that Aaron and I have supported several of his other projects, though the returns on them, as two of the main investors, are good as well. This is probably the most dangerous and ambitious project he has ever undertaken, because he likes to see to most of the details personally. He likes to make sure it's done right and whoever he hired doesn't cut corners. You can't help but respect a person for having that kind of unshakable ethics. People in the past have tried to bribe him and he simply isn't bribable. To the Japanese, losing your honor means, you might as well commit suicide, as honor is everything. Taro is the epitome of the Japanese belief on honor."

"Which is probably what led to that attempt to kill him," Jacob guessed.

"That's what Aaron and I believe," Dave agreed. "Looks like that Taro and Aiya are finally done dancing, so I'll go get them now and introduce you."

"Sounds just fine, son," Rebecca said kissing her son's bearded cheek.

The three continued to talk for a few minutes before Dave went to retrieve Taro and his wife, so they could meet his parents and his grandparents to if they wanted to.

~~~Criminal Minds~~~

The next day

"You two go and enjoy your honeymoon," Dave told Aaron and Emily laughing. "I think Penny and I will be fine without you for a few weeks."

"What about Taro's project?" Aaron asked.

"We'll decide what to do about that when you return," Dave said. "I shan't make any decisions without you."

Penelope was the only one that didn't know what they were talking about as Emily had been informed as soon as her memories had returned.

"Go enjoy yourselves," Penelope urged them. "Dave and I will be fine by ourselves."

Neither Emily or Aaron needed Penelope to draw them a diagram.

"We'll make sure we call every few days," Emily promised.

"I'm sure we'll keep ourselves occupied without your presence," Dave grinned.

He already had plans for himself and Penelope once his two friends were gone on their honeymoon.

Finally, the two left laughing, before they missed their flight, assured that Dave and Penelope would keep themselves occupied. Aaron had a suspicion, that Dave would basically move into Penny's apartment until he and Emily returned, as they had been staying with Taro and his wife for long enough, though they knew they were still welcome. Still, they had both decided that after the wedding they find themselves somewhere else to stay.

They had been staying with Taro for over six months now and that was more than enough.

Emily and Aaron waved goodbye after Dave dropped them off at the entrance to the airport. They had a flight catch.

"So what now that Emily and Aaron are gone for the next few weeks?" Penelope asked Dave once her friends had disappeared into the airport doors.

"Well, first, I thought I'd take you out for a nice lunch," Dave said. "After that, we'll do whatever you want too."

"Lunch sounds good," Penelope agreed smiling. "After that we'll see. Perhaps, we can go see the new action flick that I've been wanting to see."

"Sounds fine," Dave said relieved she hadn't suggested a romance.

"You're just happy I didn't suggest a romantic flick," Penelope teased him, as if sensing his thoughts.

"If you had I just would've had to go along with it," Dave shrugged. "If Aaron ever found out I went to a romantic movie though, he'd never stop teasing me. Even if I tell him I went because it's what you wanted to see I doubt he'd stop teasing me about it for a long time."

"He won't ever find out," Penelope promised.

"Okay then, we can go see a romantic flick while they're gone. They're going to Bora Bora for their honeymoon. It was a wedding present from Emily's mother. I know she's very glad that her daughter finally got married to someone she approved of. Aaron has money of his own, so he can't be called a gold digger," Dave said.

"I hear that Bora Bora supposed to be lovely," Penelope said dreamily. "White sandy beaches, some of the finest food in the world and plenty of other activities to see and do."

Dave said nothing, but it certainly gave him ideas for their own honeymoon if they reached that stage. He hadn't told his mother that he was pretty sure he was in love with Penelope Garcia. He had told her that he might be, but wasn't sure, as he had wanted her to push him into telling Penelope about immortality and then proposing. His mother probably suspected his real feelings actually, as she knew her son and was very perceptive, but he refused to be pushed. He was determined take his time.

~~~Criminal Minds~~~

"So what's this project Aaron mentioned?" Penelope asked once they had settled into a little café and lunch had been served.

"It's a shopping complex and hotel that Taro is building in Chicago," Dave explained. "It's supposed to be built in a poor area where it will help a lot of poor people get decent pay. Aaron and I have supported him on several other expensive projects, but this will be the most ambitious one yet."

"So I assume the main goal is to give people who don't have any jobs or at least can't pay the bills decent pay," said Penelope.

"Yes," Dave agreed, as he took a bite of his sandwich. "Of course, in order to maintain their jobs they still have to stay away from drugs, gangs and the mob. Whoever Taro hires will be looking out for that kind of thing and that person will be given three warnings and then fired."

"That's the way it should be," Penelope said approvingly. "They do that at other jobs to and it's not discrimination at all. You don't want that kind of drugged out junky around your customers, as it doesn't exactly do your store's reputation any good if you keep on someone like that, which means that no one will shop there or at least not enough to maintain your business."

"It all trickles down," Dave agreed. "Still, so long as they stay away from drugs it'll give them a decent job with a living wage. It might not afford you many creature comforts, but at least it will be at least buy you a place to live, food, clothing."

"Sounds like a good project," Penelope said.

"It is. Taro's a good man. Me and Aaron have known him for a long time, which is why when he contacted us we happily agreed to be part of this project, as we know he's honest and we have the funds to support him. The fact, that we get a nice return on our investment is only a secondary consideration."

"Which I'm sure the criminals in Chicago don't like," Penelope suggested

"No, they don't, which is why they made attempt on Taro's life, though they were a little preemptive," Dave said. Dave described the entire incident to Penelope, and told her that Aaron had only gotten a flesh wound

"I'm sorry about that guy that died," Penelope said sadly. "I'm certainly glad the rest of you came out okay. I've never understood why people can't just get along."

"That's just not human nature, sweetie," Dave told loving her caring nature.

"I know and it's sad," Penelope said, even now she ate her lunch.

Dave said nothing just continued to eat his lunch, but happened to agree with her on that subject.

~~~Criminal Minds~~~


	12. Chapter 12

Part 12

Several weeks later

"Penelope, would you marry me," Dave said been down on one knee, holding a ring box.

"I'll be happy to," Penelope squealed happily, flinging herself into Dave's arms. "I love you so much."

"I love you too," Dave grinned happily. "This something I need to tell you though before we start talking about weddings."

"What's that?" Penelope asked.

"Why don't you sit down first," Dave calmly suggested hiding his nervousness.

"This must be some news if you want me to sit down," Penelope said.

"It's more the fact that it's unbelievable," Dave admitted.

Dave then explained all about immortals and Penelope didn't look as disbelieving at he had thought she would.

When Dave finished Penelope just sat there observing what she had been told.

"Say something," Dave suggested. "You're making me very nervous just sitting there, staring off into space."

"I knew there was something you were hiding from me you and Aaron," Penelope explained finally coming back to herself. "I saw the two of you talking several times, conversations you stopped as soon as I entered the room. I was kind of surprised when Emily joined you for several of those conversations. I'm not unobservant like a lot of people, I just didn't say anything, thinking you'd tell me in time."

"Emily did say that you were like the red queen that believes in six impossible things before breakfast," Dave said cautiously relieved. "So does that mean you believe me or do you want me to prove it?"

"Oh, I want proof of course, just to make sure you aren't feeding me a line," Penelope grinned adorably at him, telling Dave easier than words ever could, that she didn't expect to have her faith in him betrayed, but was prepared for it just in case.

"Okay then," Dave said calmly and Penelope relaxed farther at the calm tone. "Why don't you go get me kitchen knife and I'll do that demonstration. Don't forget the paper towels."

Penelope rose from where she was sitting and went into the kitchen area to get a sharp knife and some paper towels. She returned just a few seconds later with these items and handing them to Dave. Dave put the paper towels on the coffee table, then took the knife and sliced his palm. Penelope watched as the wide slash healed in just 30 seconds.

"Wow!" Penelope said blinking her beautiful brown eyes in amazement. "I wasn't actually sure I believed you until that demonstration. I might be like the red queen from the looking-glass, but that doesn't mean I'm not always looking for deception as I'm not one of those people that believe without proof."

"I didn't expect you to be," Dave said calmly, as he used several paper towels to wipe the blood off his hand. "I figured I'd have to give you a demonstration."

"So I'm assuming there's a way to turn me immortal?" Penelope asked.

"Of course there is, as Aaron did it for Emily. We can't have children until you're like I am," Dave told her.

"Then I definitely want to be turned immortal as soon as possible, because I want children like Emily I'm not getting any younger," Penelope requested and Dave grinned at her.

"I'll be happy to fulfill that request, my lady. Nothing would please me more," Dave told her kissing her passionately. "I am very old, as I'm sure you can guess and have been around for very long time."

"What about Aaron?" Penelope asked.

"Oh, he's immortal to, but started off like you and Emily," Dave said.

"Okay, so you turned him immortal at his request?" Penelope asked.

"No, at mine," Dave said then explained the story.

"So Aaron lost his whole family to influenza," Penelope said trying to absorb how much tragedy Aaron had survived.

"Yes, he did. There was no cure back then," Dave said shaking his head. "He lost his wife and all six of his children. We had met several weeks before and I had seen he was an honorable man, one that was trying to support his family on very little money or resources. As I told you I had been wanting a companion someone that I could be friends with, as it's not like I ran into other immortals very often and when I did, there was no guarantees that we'd get along."

"Or stay together long enough to truly become friends," Penelope suggested

"That too," Dave agreed. "I made a good choice and we've been best friends for centuries now. That won't change just because he married Emily and in fact, I'm hoping that we can travel together."

"So you told me that Emily is the reincarnation of his long dead wife," Penelope said.

"Yes, she is and Emily will confirm this to for you, once I tell her and Aaron that you know our secret."

"But she's never told me she was reincarnated," Penelope said trying not to be hurt.

"She didn't know until after she met Aaron again," Dave told her soothingly, putting an arm around her back. "Hanging around Aaron, one of the people that was at the center of her life before, helped her remember. It took several weeks, a couple of months really, for her to remember completely, her whole former life and how she died. She took it rather well, I must say, but that's probably because she had Aaron back in her life. She might very well have reacted differently if Aaron hadn't been there when she found herself remembering."

"I can't help but think it must've been a true love match if Emily was reincarnated to be with Aaron," Penelope said suddenly.

"I think you'll fit right in, Penny," Dave told her affectionately. "That's exactly what I thought as well and also Taro and his wife. All of us agreed that Aaron must've truly been the love of Berenice's life in order for her to come back to him, even if it's centuries later. I have never seen Aaron as happy as I've seen him ever since he and Berenice, who is Emily now, met. He was always a serious man, but he has joy in his life now and it's changed him a lot. That's not to say he hasn't been happy, in his centuries with me just that he lacked joyfulness most of the time."

"I'd be serious too if I was worrying about where my family's next meal was coming from. Six children back then, might not have been a lot, but it is when you lack funds. He probably didn't have time to feel joy, at least not very often," Penelope suggested.

"That's a good point," Dave said thinking about it. "A very good point actually and he wouldn't have been constantly joyful once he was immortal, because his family was dead not even one of his children survived. He was always an excellent companion, intelligent and kind. He learned how to read and write fairly quickly considering."

"So you taught him those basic lessons," Penelope said and Dave nodded

"Yes, I did, because while those skills were mostly for the high class and the priesthood in the time we were both born, I was taught how to read and write by my parents who you met at Emily and Aaron's wedding. I won't say it wasn't a struggle, especially the writing because he already knew how to read a little. I know it was a skill that he would make good use of and and I thought that, maybe in the future more people would be taught to read write as society advanced."

"Well, that was a good guess on your part," Penelope said admiring Dave's perception.

"It wasn't a guess so much," Dave protested. "It was more the fact that society had advanced a lot from the time I was born to when I met Aaron. Really, it just seemed logical that society would advance to the point that most people would be taught to read and write at least the basics. As an immortal you learn to predict a lot of things with surprising accuracy."

Penelope said nothing, but she still thought Dave had basically guessed and he had been right, likely because of his vast experience up to that point.

"So my lovely, what kind of wedding do you want," Dave asked his lovely fiancé. "Money is no object, as I never intend to get married again."

Penelope blushed at being called lovely, but didn't bother to protest. That was one reason she loved Dave so much he was very good for her fragile ego. His compliments were sincere and not false, which was another reason she loved him so much.

"My family can't afford a big wedding," Penelope protested.

"I'm planning on paying for the whole thing my lovely," Dave told her. "Tradition be damned."

But Emily's mother paid for their whole wedding," Penelope protested.

"In that case, the Prentisses are more than well-off and that makes a difference," Dave told her firmly. "You know this Penny, as you aren't stupid. No, you're very intelligent and that's one of the reasons I love you so much. I could never live with one of those silly, shallow females that all they care about is fashion or who they're friends are marrying or other shallow subjects."

"You need to quit giving me so many compliments or they will go to my head," Penelope teased Dave.

"Never going to happen, sweetie," Dave said smiling. "I plan on complimenting you often, so you know I truly love you."

"If I didn't already know that I never would've dated you for so long," Penelope told him. "and I definitely wouldn't have agreed with your marriage proposal, especially after you told me such a fantastic tale."

"I know," Dave said softly. "Believe me, I'm well aware of it. I'm serious about planning the kind of wedding you want. I don't want you to worry about money I have more money than I could ever spend, even with rising inflation."

"Alright then," Penelope finally agreed feeling very touched. "I don't need as big a one as Emily was forced to have, because so many politicians, businesspeople, senators and governors had to be invited. It'll still be fairly large with probably at least a hundred people there."

"Whatever you want is fine, Penny," Dave reminded her.

"Alright then, I'll start planning and it shouldn't take me more than a few weeks. You can take care of the honeymoon, just so long as it is somewhere nice and warm and definitely not as cold as New York in the winter."

"I'll take care of everything," Dave promised. "I know the perfect place for nice long honeymoon, though after that, I'll probably be gone for a few weeks as Aaron and I help Taro out with his project."

"We'll talk about that later," Penelope promised. A plan was already forming in her mind but for now she would say nothing.

Dave wouldn't know what hit him Penelope thought, but that was for later. Right now, she was just going to enjoy being in love with a wonderful man.

~~~Criminal Minds~~~


	13. Chapter 13

Part 13

Epilogue

"I'm so happy for you," Emily squealed excitedly clapping her hands together. She had just learned that Dave and Penelope had gotten engaged about a week ago.

Emily and Aaron had just returned from their honeymoon, after a month away. They came back looking very happy, relaxed and contented. They had tanned skin from being out in the sun a lot.

"One of my best friend is getting married to Aaron's best friend, this makes us family," Emily added.

"We were already family," Dave told Emily. "Aaron is my brother and I don't give a damn if there is any blood relationship. I'm well aware that some people would mind, but I don't."

"Neither do I," Aaron agreed. "Dave is my brother in every way. I never had one of those before him. We've been through too many trials together to not either be very close or hate each other with a passion."

"That's true," Dave said amused.

"Though we've often been mistaken for being in a sexual relationship," Aaron added laughing Dave following him.

"What kind of idiot believed that?" Penelope asked looking shocked.

"It was way back in the past when such things were absolutely taboo," Dave explained. "Aaron and I were often mistaken as sexual partners, instead of just as brothers."

"And trying to explain that to a bunch of idiots often didn't have any affect," Aaron added with an amused little smile. "Apparently, men weren't supposed to be so close, unless they were actually siblings. It didn't seem to matter that Dave and I thought of each other that way whether we were related or not. We often passed ourselves off as half siblings just to stop people from running us out-of-town."

"Half siblings don't have to look a thing alike because they only share one parent in common," Dave added chuckling remembering those days. "That's what we made sure we told folks, before they made any erroneous assumptions."

"That was only after we were chased out of two or three different places," Aaron said.

"It's certainly wasn't amusing at the time, but now, we can laugh about it." Dave said. "It doesn't matter what people assume now, as such things are much more acceptable."

"Yeah, we won't be run out of whatever village or town we are in often with stones thrown after us," Aaron added.

"So what did you do to those idiots?" Emily asked with a raised eyebrow.

"What makes you think we did anything?" Dave asked in return with an innocent expression.

"Because I know Aaron and how much people making assumptions, especially wrong ones, upset him and he always found a way to get back to them, without it being traced back to him," Emily explained with a smirk.

"I never did it to anyone high ranking enough to have me hung or some other form of punishment decided on. I had my family to think about after all," Aaron protested with laughter in his eyes.

"Alright, fine, we picked their pockets for them and they never knew that things were missing until we were gone," Dave finally admitted causing Emily at least to chuckle.

"It's no more than they deserved," Emily said remembering the looks of pity she had received as Berenice just because she was poor. She also received other kinds of looks like she wasn't worth anything, because they had money and every advantage and she didn't.

"But that was dishonest," Penelope protested.

"They deserved it," Emily told Penelope firmly. "It was a different time back when Aaron and I were born. Just like today, people often took advantage of others, but some lord could order the death of someone and no one could help him a her or they would share their fate. It wouldn't matter if that person had not done anything just the lord or someone else fairly wealthy like a business owner thinking they had was often enough."

"Trust me, those we stole from, could more than afford to lose a few coins," Dave told Penelope. "We were often chased out of town with only the clothes on our backs, just because someone didn't like how close Aaron and I were, often mistaking it for a sexual relationship. People don't listen to reason when they're as mad as fire. We often didn't escape without at least a few bruises, which healed immediately, but still, its the principle of the thing. It's not our fault that people made wrong assumptions."

"We had to buy supplies, and while we kept our money pouches on us we never had much. We had to be able afford to buy new clothes, food, stuff like that," Aaron explained. "We didn't have horses, because we couldn't afford to, not back then."

"So what built the foundations for your fortune?"

"We invested in this business, when we had a little extra money and it grew over the years. It didn't take much money to start a business back then," Dave explained. "That was like in the 14th century I believe. That's what started my fortune. I, of course, loaned Aaron some and he invested as well so made his own fortune. We shared money and supplies."

"It was the only thing we could do back then really, even if we both carried money pouches. We always split what money we had between us, from whatever odd jobs we could pick up," Aaron added.

"Those were different times," Dave said. "I won't say I miss them a great deal, but sometimes, I yearn for a much simpler and less technological time."

"I don't blame you there," Emily said. "You have to realize Penny that all of us were born in a far less technological time, well not me, technically, I suppose, but my former incarnation of Berenice."

"Dave told me about that and said that you would confirm his words," Penelope said. "I was going to ask you, but I just had to share my news first."

"Yes, I was Aaron's wife, Berenice," Emily promised her friend. "I realize how strange it seems to believe in reincarnation, especially in this century. I have no doubt that real reincarnation is as rare as hens teeth, but yes, it does exist. I can describe things from when I was Berenice. The way the roof leaked on the house that Aaron and I raised our family in, how crowded it was with eight people, how cold it was in the winter because the shutters weren't sealed against the cold, so that the freezing air leaked past them."

"No glass in the windows?" Penelope asked in shock.

"Of course not, glass was expensive Penny," Aaron told her. "We couldn't afford glass in the windows and this was not unusual for the time."

"Sounds like a rather hard existence," Penelope said.

"It was in a lot of ways," Emily said, "But I wouldn't change a single thing if I'd never met Aaron. It might've been hard to have enough food to eat, to keep ourselves clothed, but Aaron and I loved each other so much, that's what made it bearable. I'm definitely glad I was reborn, so I could be with him and I know that our existences this around time will be much better."

"Yes, it will, because now I'm not as poor as a church mouse anymore," Aaron said. "Dave helped me build my own fortune and always shared everything he had with me, which wasn't much a lot of times I admit, but it was more than enough."

"I also have my own share of the family fortune waiting on me so long as I have at least four children and I wouldn't be surprised if I'm pregnant now," Emily added rubbing her belly.

"I wouldn't be either," Aaron smirked. "I'm definitely looking forward to having children again and this time they'll have every advantage."

"Oh! A baby," Penelope nearly squealed excitedly.

"Don't get excited Penny, there's no guarantees I'm pregnant," Emily warned her friend.

"If you're not, it's not for lack of trying," Aaron smirked again.

"I probably am, but it's much too soon to tell," Emily said. "I'll give it another few weeks at least, until I take a pregnancy test."

"You aren't going to age anymore, so it doesn't matter how far you split those babies apart," Dave pointed out.

"You forgot about my mother and my siblings," Emily reminded Dave. "They would be very suspicious if I got pregnant at 50. No, it's better, if I have them close together this time and after they're dead we can spread them out more if we want."

"That's a point," Dave admitted. "Don't want to make any of your family suspicious."

"Definitely not, because unlike me or Penny they'd never believe in immortality and the only reason I did, is because of my memories of being Berenice."

"That is a good point," Dave admitted.

"So when is the wedding?" Emily asked Penelope.

"Not for a few weeks at least, as Dave only asked me last week, so I've only started planning," Penelope answered. "It won't be anywhere near as large as yours was, due to all those politicians, businesspeople, governors and senators your mother had to invite or have them insulted."

"I have to admit, except for that one guy, things went pretty well," Emily said.

Penelope knew all about the idiot that had started talking politics without even introducing himself. The guy had been rude and had chosen to ignore Elizabeth Prentiss's edict that was written on the invitation in capital letters.

"That guy should have known that mother never would have put that warning on the invitation if it wasn't going to be enforced. It was supposed to be a festive occasion, though he probably assumed it was an arranged marriage, since so many in political circles are," said Emily.

"His name was Daniel Carruthers," Dave told everyone.

"Alright, I know his name, but he was still rude," Emily said. "Dave definitely saved that guy from being punched in the nose."

"Surely, you wouldn't've done that. Not on your wedding day," Penelope protested genuinely shocked.

"You've known me for how many years, Penny?" Emily asked her friend with a raised eyebrow.

"Alright, you would have," Penelope admitted. "You hate politics I know that, but to get your wedding dress all bloody, even if it's only a couple of drops..."

"I don't really care about that," Emily said. "All I care about was having a good time considering it was my wedding day and I deserved to be left in peace for it. I admit I was left alone for the most part, as most people obeyed the edict or at least didn't bother me, even if they talked about politics amongst themselves. Dave came to the rescue before I could punch Mr. Daniel Carruthers. I probably would have gotten blood on my hand at least, maybe even on my dress. Getting blood on my dress would've upset my mother, but since she would've gone after Mr. Carruthers and not me for not listening when I told him I wasn't interested and that I hated politics that would've been fine with me. All I wanted was a nice, peaceful wedding day," Emily repeated.

"It's over with, we're married and that's all that matters," Aaron told Emily holding her gently. "Come hell or high water, I'll never lose you again, not now that I have you back."

"Yes, that's all that matters," Emily said snuggling into Aaron's arms contently, Aaron kissing the top of her head lovingly.

"So did you tell your mother about your engagement to Penny?" Aaron asked Dave. "If you did, I would think you could hear her squeals of joy all the way here in New York."

"Yes, I did and you would be correct about how she squealed in happiness," Dave chuckled. "I wouldn't be surprised if you could hear them for several miles at least."

"Well, she's been wanting you to settle down for a long time," Aaron reminded him with a grin. "You are the oldest son."

"It's not easy to find someone, even when your mortal and it's harder still to find someone when you live practically forever," Dave said.

"This is something I know very well," Aaron agreed solemnly. "I'll be grateful forever to have Emily for the rest of my very long life."

The two men shared a look of complete understanding that neither lady could interpret. This was fine, because they both knew Aaron and Dave had known each other for centuries, while the two of them had not, even if Emily, as Berenice had known her husband very well indeed.

"She was very excited when I told her I had proposed to Penny and she said she had a feeling that Penny was going to be the one that I finally settled down with," Dave told Aaron what his mother had said.

"Sometimes a mother just knows," Penelope said with a soft smile. "Mine was certainly overjoyed when I told her I was getting married. The only thing left to do is introduce Dave to my parents."

"We'll go up to California soon," Dave promised. "Spend some time with your family, so they can get to know me. I just wanted to be here for Aaron and Emily's return and I know you did too. Now that their back we can visit your family in California."

"There're so many things to plan though," Penelope protested.

"Which you can plan from California as well as here," Dave said, "especially in this era of technology. It won't hurt to go visit your family for a few days, a week or so at least. They need to see that your genuinely happy and that you're not getting into a bad situation, since so many men are bastards with a capital B."

That was a good point Penelope admitted and agreed to Dave's plan without arguing farther. She wanted her mother in particular, to know that she had made a good choice, so she wouldn't worry about home, as her mother was something of a worrywart.

"Alright then, it will stop my mother from worrying that I'm in a bad relationship," agreed Penelope without arguing further.

"At least your mother and father aren't as likely to argue about your choice and trust me my mother would have if she hadn't liked Aaron," Emily reminded Penelope. "I'm positive she had a background check done on him to make sure that he wasn't a gold digger at least."

"It's a good thing we have our data adjusted every few years," Aaron said.

"Good thing," Dave agreed grinning. "We have to do so, because this is a high tech society we live in," Dave explained to Penelope.

"I understand that," Penelope agreed. "Someone might do a background check on you like Emily mother likely did with Aaron."

"Oh, she did, trust me, Elizabeth Prentiss is nothing if not thorough," Emily said. "She would've wanted to make sure that Aaron wasn't just leading me into heartbreak. It's not like I could've told her about the past lives aspect, she never would've believed me and probably would've had me committed or tried anyway."

Penelope had met Emily mother on several occasions, so agreed with her friend's assessment.

"I can see her doing something like that yeah," Penelope agreed. "I have to admit that Emily mother can be a rather hard woman."

"Some people are like that," Dave told Penelope. "I can't blame her if half of what I know about her is true. Her marriage was arranged and that often leads to discontent and unhappiness. In fact, it happens at least 90 percent of the time. Immortals never arrange marriages for their children, because you just aren't stuck with someone for a few decades, but for centuries."

"Yes, they are. She tried to do the same thing to me a few years ago and I don't know about my brothers, but she probably tried to arrange marriages for them as well as me, as I wouldn't put it past her. In fact, its something she would do. I told her no to her face and said I would only marry for love and she knew me well enough to know I would never agree to an arranged marriage with some man I probably barely knew and that I had about as much in common with me as a pig loving a chicken."

"I'd rather live alone for the rest of my life would be stuck in a marriage of convenience," Penelope shuddered. "Luckily, my parents would never even think about arranging a marriage for me. Thank God, they don't think like that."

"That's exactly what I told my mother to," Emily immediately agreed. "I'd rather never get married or have children if I couldn't do so with a man I loved. I think paying for the honeymoon was her way of apologizing for the inattention to me when I was growing up. She didn't pay us any more attention then she absolutely had too. I understood that she was busy, but still, other busy people manage to pay their children some attention, read them bedtime stories when they are small, sit by a child's bedside when they are very sick, just little things that let a child know their mother or their father loves them. Neither of my parents did a single one of those things. We were left in the care of the nanny most of the time, a nanny that was more of a mother to us then our own was. I won't say she wasn't a nice older lady, just that she wasn't our mom and dad."

Emily said this more for Penelope then anyone else, who were already aware of her opinion one this particular subject.

"My childhood wasn't exactly unpleasant, just lonely and boring a lot of times," Emily told Penelope.

"I feel sorry for you as my childhood was much different," Penelope said. "I knew you had it rough, just not how rough."

"It's okay I've gotten over the past. I barely see my mother at all anymore," Emily shrugged. "I'll have to think about if I want to have any contact with her grandchildren at all. I only let her plan the whole thing, because all the details that go into weddings would've driven me crazy in no time. I probably would've forgot to invite some high muckety-muck, a senator or a governor, who would then have been insulted they weren't invited. It was just easier to let my mother handle it and just veto some of her wilder ideas."

"Like what?" Penelope asked.

"Like a 10 foot train trailing behind me," Emily said, rolling her eyes. "It would've taken a dozen people just to stop it from trailing along the dirty floor. That might've been done in the past, but not for my wedding thank you. Still, my mother did a relatively good job and didn't take a year to plan it. I'm sure she knew I'd elope before I waited until next spring or summer to tie the knot."

"I would hate to wait that long to get married," Penelope agreed. "I could already have my first kid by then or at least be pregnant with them."

"Let's not worry about that right now they're not even conceived yet," Aaron suggested. "I mean they might be, but we don't know for sure. Stress can stop you from getting pregnant, so let's not worry about it until we know one way or the other."

Emily dropped the subject but she would be thinking long and hard if she wanted to allow her mother any contact with her kids whatsoever. She would also discuss it with Aaron before she made any definite decisions as he often had good advice.

Both Dave and Aaron would see their friend's project completed, because it would help many poor people and they would also deal with whoever wanted Taro dead. They would kill without remorse in order to protect Taro who was one of the worlds best hope for the future, as he was honest and kind and as honorable as you could possibly expect in this corrupt world. The world needed him around for as many years as he could get, even if people never knew it and both Dave and Aaron would do their best to protect Taro's ideals until it was time for him to pass into the next world.

Dave was looking forward to the future for the first time in a long time. He would marry his Penny and they would have many children over the centuries, which would definitely make his mother happy and also his grandmother.

The future, for once, looked very bright indeed.


End file.
